Royals Unplugged
by Christie1001
Summary: King Simon's decision to abolish the monarchy was a historic and unprecedented idea. But was it a good one? Follow the life of the formal royals who are trying their best to adapt to their new situation. Under different circumstances same events can play out differently and certain stories can change for the better... or the worst.
1. Their Formal Majesty

Their Former Majesty

" _Let me tell you something. You know nothing about the real world. None of you. Without the monarchy, you will be defenceless."_

Her mother's words echoed in her head as former princess Eleanor stumbled in the pouring rain toward the little cottage in the East End. Her mouth was dry and she was itching everywhere. She had to stop for a moment to throw up before she reached her destination.

The house was, as usual, surrounded by paparazzi. At least, it was easy to find.

* * *

 _Alistair's cottage_

"I'm telling you. She almost slammed the door in my face. No matter how good my designs are, she doesn't want to see them." – Helena exclaimed angrily while she was washing the dishes in the kitchen. – "Who does she think she is?"

Alistair put an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss on her cheek.

"The Queen of England?" – he said teasingly as he took a plate and wiped it dry.

He tried to duck away from the sponge that was flying towards him, but it was too late.

"Screw you, Alistair." – Helena cursed with an ill-concealed smile. – "Say another queen-of-england joke and I swear I'll leave you."

"Sorry. It was too easy." – he mumbled and kissed her again, this time on her lips.

He looked at her expectantly, but instead, she turned back to the sink and continued her story:

"Anyway, she hates me because I refused to wear those slutty Versace dresses when I was the Queen. Now she takes revenge by sabotaging my career."

Alistair waited a moment, then he remarked with a reassuring smile:

"I don't think she can beat you."

"Not in England…" – Helena replied confidently. – "But if I want to be taken seriously as a fashion designer, I will need something big."

They both startled when they heard someone banging on the entrance door.

" _Mom! Mom, open the door, I know you are there. Mom? Let me in!"_ – Eleanor shouted from outside.

"Don't." – Helena said and raised her hand to stop her fiance who headed for the door.

It wasn't the first time. They both stood still, waiting for another wave of shouting and banging.

"I can't do this again, Al." – Helena whispered wearily and leaned on the kitchen counter.

Judging from the sounds, Eleanor engaged in a conversation with the photographers on the front lawn.

" _Wanna get some good stuff?... Big enough, huh?... Oooh! You wanna see the Queen's? She'll show you if you ask her... Yes way! She likes to fuck very very… Yeah, seriously. Especially young boys."_

"That's enough. I'll call the police." – Alistair hissed between his teeth.

Helena shot him an angry look.

"She is my daughter, for God's sake!"

" _... hear that, Mom? I will tell them all your disgusting… dirty… fucking secrets! … Open the door! … Open it, you fucking bitch!"_

"Such a great daughter." – Alistair said, disgusted.

The former queen glanced at the door, then she remarked softly:

"It's not her fault."

"No, it's not. How could _you_ screw her up like this?" – her fiance snapped, which he regretted immediately. – "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, you know that."

"She was raised a princess. I had never thought it would change." – Helena said with a hint of resentment in her voice.

" _Mommy, please, let me in… I love you… Please, don't leave me alone. I'm so alone… Fuck you, you damn bitch! I wish you were dead!"_

"I'll let her in." – Helena decided.

Alistair shook his head disapprovingly and folded his arms.

"You don't help her." – he said with forced calm. – "Maybe she will be all right for a day or two, then it will start again. She will steal your money to buy drugs and she'll come back when she runs out of both."

Helena let out a short sigh and put her hand on his forearm.

"I know. But it's raining and I don't want her to get cold."

Eleanor almost fell in the door when it opened.

"Let's get over with this. Give me the money and I'm out of here." – she said firmly, but it was clear that she could barely stand on her feet.

Her mother put her arm protectively around her to prevent her from falling and spoke to her in a soft voice:

"That's not how it works, Eleanor, you know that. The guest room is ready. You'll sober up, then we'll talk."

"No!" – Eleanor screamed and tried to escape her grasp. She scratched her mother's face so hard that it drew blood on her lip. Helena hissed in pain and let go of her.

Eleanor backed away, but Alistair grabbed her and pushed her to the wall.

"You touch your mother again and you can sleep in the street."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." – the ex-princess replied a bit frightened. – "Just let me go if you don't want me to puke on you."

Alistair released her and motioned toward the bathroom:

"Please, you know the way."

After she left for the restroom, Alistair quickly turned to his fiancee to see if she was all right. He went to the liquor cabinet and poured a drink for both of them.

"I'm sorry if I was too harsh with her." – he began, but Helena interrupted him:

"No, you were not. Listen, could you keep an eye on her?"

"Where are you going?" – her boyfriend asked in surprise.

Helena looked at him and lied without a blink:

"Grocery shopping. I will be back soon."

* * *

Since the paparazzi followed her every movement, Helena needed to be extra-careful unless she wanted to find herself on the front page. She parked her car in a narrow street and approached her destination from the backyard.

 _J_ _asper Frost's home, Shoreditch_

"Good evening, Jasper!" – she greeted her ex-bodyguard with a fake smile when he opened the door.

Without waiting for further invitation, she entered the house.

"How did you find me?" – Jasper asked suspiciously.

"My name still opens doors." – the former queen answered mysteriously, then she let out a soft chuckle. – "I live two streets away, I have seen you. Nice neighbourhood, by the way. Shoreditch has its own magic..."

The former bodyguard, current Scotland Yard detective didn't appreciate the small talk and cut to the chase:

"What do you want?"

Helena unbuttoned her dress coat and casually handed it to Jasper. He followed her into the living room, still holding on to the coat on his arm, waiting for her to speak.

"You love my daughter. Please, I know you do." – she said when she saw that Jasper was trying to protest. – "I want you to arrest her."

* * *

 _Alistair's cottage_

Eleanor knew that the worst part was still ahead of her. Her head was spinning and she needed something, anything to ease the crave for drugs.

"What are you looking for?" – she heard Alistair's voice behind her back as she went through the kitchen drawers.

She turned around and rolled her eyes.

"Just some cigarettes, relax." – she replied with a sigh. – "I'm sorry for the mess I made. Again."

Alistair nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's okay. You are family, Eleanor. No matter how big is the mess you have made you can always count on me."

He took out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter and gave it to the former princess.

"Thanks, Alistair. You know you are kind of cool stepdad." – Eleanor answered as she lit her cigarette.

Alistair raised his eyebrows.

"Stepdad, wow! I thought I was just your mother's new boy toy."

Eleanor shrugged her shoulders, then she said:

"Consider yourself promoted."

She hesitated for a few moments before she spoke again:

"Can I be honest with you? You really seem like a good guy. What do you want with my mother?"

Her stepfather crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.

"You don't know her." – he remarked softly. – "I mean you know the Queen she became, but the girl she once was... That girl was kind and caring, passionate about a bunch of things. She grew up on this big farm where she knew the names of every employee... She always had some nice words to them."

Eleanor let out a short sigh and put out her cigarette.

"I think Robert knew that girl. I met her a few times too, but he really knew her."

"That girl is my girl and I will find her for you." – Alistair said confidently and Eleanor couldn't help feeling a little hopeful listening to him.

* * *

 _J_ _asper Frost's home, Shoreditch_

Jasper took a closer look at the huge diamond ring in his hand before he gave it back to its owner.

"So that is your plan. You want me to frame her for stealing."

"You don't have to frame her, she _will_ steal it." – Helena reassured him. – "It was my royal engagement ring, it's worth more than you could imagine. She will probably try to sell it, but you will be there to catch her and take her to the police."

Her former security detail still wasn't sure what she wanted from him.

"Then what?" – he asked cautiously.

"Then my lawyer will have her declared mentally incompetent and I can finally get her into a rehab facility." – Helena replied with ease.

Eleanor was out of control and her drug addiction was the tabloid's favourite topic. Even her mother couldn't make it go away, which meant that it was something really serious. Jasper knew that.

"If I do this, she'll never forgive me." – he said after a long pause.

Despite his words, Helena could see that he didn't need much more persuasion.

"You are doing this for her." – she told him harshly. – "Besides, I don't think you have much to lose right now, bodyguard."

* * *

 _Alistair's cottage_

By the time she got back, it was already dark outside. She put her keys on a coffee table and gently placed her diamond ring beside it.

"Where are the bags?" – Alistair asked in surprise when he saw her.

"What bags?" – Helena replied and pressed a quick kiss on his lips.

Her fiance backed away and looked at her, a bit confused.

"I thought you had gone to the grocery store."

Luckily, Eleanor entered the room and saved her mother from another lie.

"I think I get going." – she announced and headed for the door.

Helena reached for her wallet, but her daughter shook her head.

"No, thanks. I'll be okay."

Her mother couldn't hide her shock, but she quickly composed herself:

"Listen, before you go. I have a present for you."

She left for her bedroom to get it, leaving her daughter alone in the room for a little while.

"A present? I hardly deserve it." – Eleanor cried out after her, then she noticed the ring her mother had left on the table.

She let out a disapproving snort, then she slipped it into her bag.

"Since when getting a present has anything to do with deserving it?" – Helena asked when she returned, holding a black dress in her arms. – "Come on, try it on!"

Eleanor dropped her short and top on the floor and put on the dress.

"Do you like it? I had you in mind when I made it." – her mother remarked proudly.

The black leather dress was decorated with zips, which have created different patterns depending on which one was open and which one was closed.

"Mom! This is beautiful." – Eleanor cried out in excitement as she was zipping up and down the tiny zippers.

She finally decided on the crown and the rose motives to be seen on the dress.

Helena glanced at the coffee table and noticed that the ring was gone. She turned back to her daughter with a forced smile:

"It looks wonderful on you, darling."

Eleanor looked at her mother and herself in the mirror as she replied:

"You will be a great designer, Mom. A real fashion queen."

The former queen let out a short laugh.

"We will see about that." – she remarked with a smile, then she turned serious: – "I just hope you won't forget that I love you. Even if... just don't forget it, all right?"

"Okay." – Eleanor answered casually, though for some reason her mother words made her a little nervous.

* * *

An hour later the former princess's arrest dominated the news. The photos and videos of her being handcuffed and escorted to the police car were spreading like a virus on the Internet.

Alistair was watching the TV in horror while Helena sneaked out to the bathroom to make a phone call. Her assistant picked up on first ring.

"Have you seen the news?" – Helena asked her immediately.

"Eleanor's got arrested."– she replied matter-of-factly, then she added knowingly. – "Nice dress by the way. I wonder who was the designer."

Her comment drew an appreciative chuckle from Helena who finished her assistant's thought:

"Why don't you make other people wonder about it too?"

"I'm on it, _Your Majesty_."– came the quick answer from the other end of the line.

"Thank you, Rachel." – Helena replied and hung up the phone with a satisfied smile.


	2. The Irish Way

**The Irish Way**

* * *

 _Sandringham_

Former king Simon sat on a bench over a little fishing lake in the garden, lost in thoughts.

Without paying much attention, he was tossing crumbs to the ducks who responded with grateful quacks. Prudence's voice dragged him out of his thoughts:

"You should come inside. The ducks don't expect you to freeze to death out here." – she said with a warm smile.

Simon didn't bother to hide his annoyance when he replied:

"I'm fine. Could you leave me alone?"

Prudence sat on the bench next to him, which make her growing baby bump more visible. She looked him in the eye and forced him to look at her.

"Your Ma... Simon, you can't do this. You need to talk to someone." – she said with a worried look in her eyes. – "If not to me, then to a therapist. I'm sure we could ge..."

"Did Liam call?" – the former king interrupted her.

"Not yet." – she answered with a sigh.

Simon paused for a moment and focused his attention on the ducks who waddled out of the lake and ruffled their feathers at his feet.

"He promised to come here this weekend." – he finally said.

Prudence glanced at him with pity:

"I'm sure he will if he promised."

"And Eleanor? Did you find out anything about her?" – he asked eagerly.

"No, I... She is probably just busy." – Prudence lied, but of course she knew the truth. Everyone knew. It was a miracle that she was able to hide it from him for so long.

"Why don't you call the Queen, I mean your ex-wife? Maybe she knows something." – she suggested gingerly.

Simon gave him a surprised look.

"Helena? No, I don't think the children are very fond of her since the divorce. Honestly, I don't know if she cares at all."

"That's not what you said yesterday." – Prudence remarked matter-of-factly.

Simon eyed her up and down before he replied:

"Don't say you are jealous."

He could see that she didn't take it well, even though she tried to remain indifferent:

"I am not. I'm just saying what you said. That even _she_ calls you more often than the twins."

"Because her horses are here." – he answered quickly.

"And her dogs. And half of her wardrobe..." – Prudence continued the list, but her _former_ boss interrupted her again.

"For now." – he said softly. – "But yes, you are right. Despite everything that happened between us, she is very nice."

They sat in silence, watching the ducks together for a while. Then, Prudence suddenly winced and put her hand on her rounding belly. Simon followed the movement and asked in a worried voice:

"Are you all right?"

Prudence's features became more relaxed as she said with an awkward smile:

"Yes. I started to feel him moving a couple of days ago. I guess it's still strange a little."

"It is wonderful, isn't it?" – Simon asked with a childlike enthusiasm.

His former maid couldn't stand the honest look in his eyes and turned away.

"Let's get inside. I'll make some tea." – she remarked firmly.

Her change of subject didn't escape Simon's notice:

"Are you ever going to tell me who is the father?"

Prudence stood up and gave him a reproachful look.

"It would do no good. I just want to forget that life. And him as well." – she said before she headed for the house.

* * *

 _Alistair's cottage_

Helena frowned when she looked around the small dining table. It was definitely not a palace. There was hardly enough space for the two of them, but with Alistair's family being there as well, it seemed impossible to eat comfortably.

The former queen jerked away her arm with a grimace when Alistair's mother poked her with her elbow.

"Did you eat this in the Palace too?" – she asked after she tasted the food on her plate.

"No, I cooked this one myself." – Helena replied with mock ease.

The older woman snorted contentedly:

"I thought so. It's terrible."

"Mam!" – Alistair cried out in indignation, but his fiancee stopped her.

"It's all right. I'm sure your mother is a better cook."

Her voice was calm, but she couldn't fool him. He has known her for thirty years, he knew what was coming.

"Hellie, please, don't." – he begged.

But Helena ignored his plea as she turned to his mother and said:

"Such a shame your son never experienced it since you left him in foster homes over half of his childhood." – she finished with a triumphant smile.

"Go ndéana an diabhal dréimire de cnámh do dhroma ag piocadh úll i ngairdín Ifrinn! Unlike you, I wasn't paid for doing nothing." – the older woman hissed between her teeth.

Helena has never heard anything like that before. She wasn't sure she should laugh or cry.

"Did you just curse me?" – she asked in shock, but she was soon distracted by someone else.

Alistair and Helena turned to their fourth convive, a young girl with curly red hair, who couldn't stop laughing for minutes.

"I'm sorry. I just... I have never heard this one." – the girl said apologetically with her face still red from laughter.

They all remained quiet for a moment, then Alistair broke the awkward silence.

"Amelia studies Irish culture at university."

The minute he said it, he realized it was a mistake because Helena immediately turned all of her attention to the girl on her left.

"Really? What did she say?"

"Nothing." – her fiance mumbled hastily.

Amelia didn't care about the warning look Alistair gave her as she willingly translated the old Irish curse.

"She wants the devil to use your backbones as a ladder to pick apples in the garden of hell."

Helena stared at her with a shocked expression, then she turned to her fiance:

"What a lovely language. You should use it too, darling."

Before Alistair could have replied, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." – Helena said quickly and left the table.

At her big surprise, she found her son at the door. They spoke a few times over the phone since the abolishment of the monarchy, but he has only come to see her once before.

"How could you have done this to Eleanor? She trusted you." – he yelled at her.

Helena cast a nervous glance inside the house before she answered:

"Rehab is the best place for her right now. Can we talk about this later? I have guests."

As if she had heard what she said, Alistair's mother shouted from the living room:

"Helena, close that door. You let out the heat."

Liam's expression immediately turned into a scornful grin.

"I think I'd rather stay. After the way you treated Ophelia, I might even enjoy seeing you in her shoes."

"Fine. But please don't say again that you are so different from me. Because you are not, you nasty little brat." – Helena rolled her eyes and followed her son inside.

"Margaret, this is my son, Liam. Liam, this is Alistair's mother." – she introduced the two of them to each other.

Margaret eyed the young prince man up and down, then she remarked casually:

"More handsome than on TV... but I always preferred your brother."

"You were not alone." – Liam replied with a polite smile and gave his mother a knowing look.

Helena led him to their other guest whom she introduced rather briefly.

"And this is Amelia. She is the result of a one-night stand between an Army friend of Alistair and a bar dancer."

"Singer..." – the young girl corrected her, then she added sarcastically: – "I must admit your lack of tact impresses me. I wonder how you could be queen with such manners."

The former queen was so struck by her words that she couldn't think of a good comeback. The two women maintained eye contact until Alistair got tired of the embarrassing situation and broke the silence:

"Amelia, why don't you clear the table?" – he suggested assertively. – "Liam, you can help her."

"Me?" – the former prince asked in surprise.

Amelia let out a soft chuckle and said to him:

"Don't worry, you'll learn it in no time."

She gathered the plates from the table and took them to the kitchen. Liam grabbed some glasses and followed her.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't want to be rude to your mom." – she mumbled softly.

"Are you kidding? You are the first person who left my mother speechless. I already like you." – Liam remarked with a big smile.

Amelia returned the smile and let out a sigh.

"I tend to overreact when it comes to my parents."

"What is the deal with them?" – the former prince asked and gave her a curious look.

The young girl wasn't sure where to begin.

"Do you know the musical _Miss Saigon_? My parents' story is like that, only less romantic." – she said, trying to act like she didn't care much. – "Henry, my dad met my mom in a bar where she was singing. They spent the night together, he promised to come back to her after his deployment, but he never made it."

"I'm sorry. It must have been hard growing up without your father." – Liam said with empathy.

Amelia shrugged and continued in the same tone:

"Who knows he really would have come back if he had survived? Sometimes I wished it was the truth. That he lived somewhere happily ever after." – she paused for a moment, then she said in mock ease: – "So a couple of years ago I started looking for him and that's how I met Alistair. He told me about my dad: what kind of person he was, how he died as a hero... then we became friends. He spoke an awful lot about your mom too. He really loves her. I don't know why, but he does. So after the monarchy was over, Al wanted me to meet her. And now I met you. The story of my life in sixty seconds."

Liam didn't know what to say. He has rarely had the chance before to hear the stories of the so-called average people and he was impressed. Although Amelia was anything but average.

"Your life is... quite intense." – he finally said.

"You can't complain either." – the young girl remarked with a smile. – "A royal prince, who suddenly becomes the heir to the British throne until the king abolishes the monarchy and condemns him to an ordinary life."

"A very ordinary life with very ordinary problems like a junkie twin sister, a depressed father, a tough university and a frighteningly real job to pay for it." – Liam summed up his own life.

They looked at each other and both burst into laughter.

"Maybe not so ordinary." – Amelia admitted.

"Yeah, maybe not." – Liam agreed. – "So… if you want it too, I would be happy to talk more about our not-so-ordinary life."

Amelia tucked a strand of curly hair behind her ears and looked at him:

"Honestly, I would be pretty disappointed if you were not."


	3. Whatever the past holds dear

Whatever the past holds dear

* * *

 **A.N.: Luna967, JulietLovesStories welcome back! I'm glad you like this story as well, and I hope you'll enjoy the next chapters.**

* * *

 _Sandringham_

Helena strode across the garden of the former royal residence which was currently the home of her ex-husband. Soon she found what she was looking for. Five Irish Setters were playing with each other in the grass.

"Molly! Come here, Molly!" – the former queen called one of them, but the dog didn't listen to her. – "Don't you recognize your mistress?"

Finally, Molly trotted over to her, followed by the younger ones who jumped all over Helena.

"That's right… You are an old lady now, aren't you? We have grown old together." – she remarked as she scratched her dog behind the ears.

She didn't realize that someone was watching her.

"What are you doing here?" – Prudence asked suspiciously.

Helena stood up to face her:

"I could ask _you_ : what am I doing here? If I remember correctly, I pay you to look after him, and yet I am the one who gets a call in the middle of the night that he is having a panic attack. Where have you been?"

"With him. I didn't know he called you." – the maid mumbled.

"He did. Which means that you are doing a shitty job." – Helena replied.

They were walking toward the house. Prudence shrugged and looked her former boss in the eye:

"Good. I wanted to quit anyway. I'm done being your spy. He is a good man and I won't betray him like you. Especially now."

With her last words, she zipped off her coat and let the other woman see what she was hiding. Helena's eyes widened in shock as soon as she noticed the baby bump.

"You certainly forgot to mention _that_." – she mumbled.

"It appears I didn't do such a bad job after all." – Prudence replied with a scornful smile.

They reached the house and they entered. Helena couldn't take her eyes off of the rounding belly of her former maid as she took off her coat. Finally, she shook her head and asked:

"Where is he?"

"Upstairs." – came the answer.

The former queen was about to go up when the younger woman's voice stopped her:

"I'm thinking about naming him Robert."

Helena has already made her first steps on the stairs, but she turned back:

"Whatever joy it brings you to give my dead son's name to yours, I hope you'll get it."

* * *

Simon was surprised to see his ex-wife. Not because she has changed that much, but because she has changed so little. She was wearing the same expensive clothes, except with less jewellery. The huge diamond ring on her ring finger was replaced by a simple one with no stone in it. She was engaged.

"Do you remember when we first came here with Robert?" – Simon asked her to take off his mind from the ring and the unpleasant feeling that came with it.

"Of course I do." – his ex-wife replied curtly like she was somehow offended by the question.

The former king followed her with his gaze as she walked over to the sofa and sat down.

"You know I don't like talking about him." – Helena remarked matter-of-factly.

Simon hesitated and let out a sigh before he said:

"You'll have to face his death eventually."

"The pot calling the kettle black. At least I'm not trying to replace him with another child." – the former queen hissed between her teeth.

Her ex-husband frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

Helena gave him a reproachful look.

"Prudence. You didn't tell me she was pregnant."

"Since when do you care?" – Simon asked with honest surprise.

"Since she is carrying the brother of _my_ children." – came the answer.

"Brother? No. It's not mine." – he protested. – "Did she tell you that?"

His ex-wife didn't reply. She stood up and walked over to the windows.

"I will talk to her." – Simon remarked firmly and stepped beside her.

Helena turned away from the window to face him:

"What happened yesterday?"

Her ex-husband lowered his eyes in embarrassment.

"I shouldn't have called you."

"Simon, what happened? – Helena asked again, more seriously this time.

The former king forced himself to look at his ex-wife and said:

"I was looking through old family photos and I suddenly panicked. I felt like I couldn't breathe and I thought it was another heart attack."

Helena gulped. She wasn't sure how much authority her current status gave her to intervene in her ex-husband's life.

"You should talk to someone. I know a grief counsellor, she is a very nice woman…" – she began, but Simon interrupted her.

"Did she help you?"

"Me? No." – the former queen replied with ease. – "I have just met her at a charity event."

Her ex-husband wasn't happy with this answer. Helena decided to try a different approach:

"If you don't want to go, you don't have to, but staying here alone with your thoughts, it's not good for you. You should come back to London. The children would be happy."

"The children don't care about me. Liam is so busy and I haven't heard of Eleanor since she was arrested." – Simon cried out bitterly.

"It's because… she is in rehab. I've sent her there, but trust me I had good reasons to do so." – his ex-wife explained objectively. – "She kept coming to my house while she was on drugs, she was out of control. It was the only way to protect her."

After a long, terrifying silence, the former king looked her in the eye and said:

"I made a terrible mistake with the referendum, didn't I? You were right all along. The monarchy was the only life my children had known and I took that away from them."

"Our children." – Helena corrected him – "And yes, it's not easy for them, but they will be fine. Liam can fend for himself, just like he always did and Eleanor will find her way too, once she gets the help she needed."

Simon nodded, then he asked:

"What about you?"

"What about me?" – the former queen asked back in surprise. – "I'm fine. My designer carrier took a jump-start, thanks to a little guerrilla marketing and I have recently bought back my father's farm."

Her ex-husband let out a soft chuckle.

"Really? That's great. I know how much that place means to you."

A nostalgic smile appeared on Helena's face, which was quickly replaced by a more serious expression.

"Yes. So now I can arrange the transport of the animals and the furniture and everything I have left here."

"So it's just me... I can't adapt." – Simon mumbled after a short pause.

His ex-wife let out a nervous sigh and caressed his cheek. Simon grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss on her palm. Helena slowly pulled away her hand.

"Look, Darl… Simon, I'm worried about you." – she remarked gently. – "I still think it would be best if you moved back to London."

"I will consider it." – Simon promised, although he didn't really mean it.


	4. Trojan Horse

**Trojan Horse**

* * *

 _Helena's repurchased family farm, Berkshire_

Cyrus grimaced as one of his designer shoes sank into the wet mud while he was walking toward the house. Helena saw him from the window and she opened the door before he could ring the bell.

"Sorry for the mess, we are just moving in." – she apologized as she let in her ex-brother-in-law. – "How do you like it?"

Cyrus looked around the covered furniture with utter disgust and said:

"I didn't come to chitchat about home decoration. I had to take a bloody _Uber_ to get here. I just hope your information will worth it."

Helena removed the cover from a sofa and sat down.

"The Foreign Minister resigned yesterday. Rumour has it you would be interested in the position." – she began and she motioned Cyrus to sit next to her. – "I can help you. I have some dirt on the Prime Minister."

The former prince snorted in disdain.

"Everyone has some dirt on that idiot." – he remarked with a scornful grin, then he turned to Helena. – "That's all? That's why you dragged me out here?"

His former sister-in-law shook her head.

"Do you remember the maid we fired last year? Simon's little girlfriend?"

Cyrus looked at the former queen with a sudden interest which didn't escape her notice.

"Yes, What about her?"

"It turns out she wasn't just Simon's girlfriend. She is pregnant." – Helena remarked with ease, carefully watching the reaction of her ex-brother-in-law.

She didn't have to wait long for the desired effect.

"P… Pregnant?" – Cyrus stuttered.

"I knew it." – the former queen exclaimed in satisfaction.

Cyrus tried to pretend like he didn't understand what he was talking about.

"What?" – he grunted.

Helena got up and slowly she started circling around the sofa.

"It's yours. The baby is yours." – she remarked with a smirk on her face. – "You couldn't resist, could you? You had to take her, only because she was Simon's."

The former prince refused to answer so she decided to provoke him further:

"You have never loved your daughters, Cyrus. But a boy... It was the one thing you have always dreamed of. Beside the throne, of course, but you can't have everything, can you?"

"What do you want, Helena?" – Cyrus hissed angrily.

"Just unite a family." – his ex-sister-in-law replied in mock innocence.

The former prince let out a soft chuckle.

"You are a woman of many talents. Joking is certainly not one of them."

Helena gave him an offended look.

"Fine. I want to get rid of her." – she remarked with a frustrated sigh. – "I don't like seeing her near my husband."

"You mean your _ex_ -husband." – Cyrus corrected her.

The former queen stopped circling and stood in front of his ex-brother-in-law.

"I always considered you a friend, Cyrus. And friends, as you know, have each other's interest in mind." – her voice was threatening. – "The former Lady Salisbury would also like to be Foreign Minister. And right now I am tempted to rally my support behind her."

Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"I will take care of the maid." – he mumbled.

"Good." – Helena remarked in satisfaction. – "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting in Reading. I have to buy a tractor."

The former prince gave her a blank look.

"A tractor?"

Helena shrugged as if it was the most common thing in the world.

"This farm won't run itself."

* * *

 _Castle Hope Rehabilitation Center, Scotland_

"You don't understand. I know her. I was her boy…dyguard." – Jasper explained desperately to the receptionist.

The old lady looked at him with a frown.

"We don't like _boydyguards_ around here. Believe me, we had just enough."

Jasper flapped the counter and said in a menacing voice:

"I'm a Scotland Yard detective. My name is Jasper Frost and you need to let me in."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Frost. You are not on the visitor list." – replied the receptionist.

"Then call the Queen. She will put me on the list." – Jasper insisted.

The old woman shook her head disapprovingly.

"Mrs. Henstridge has no say in who can visit her daughter. But if you promise me that you can behave for five minutes, I'll ask Eleanor myself."

* * *

 _Horseshoe & Clover Pub, London_

It was hard to find a nice token for the tavern. The television was broadcasting a football match, some drunks were loudly rooting for their team. The place had a smell of a cesspool and the tables were sticky with spilled beer. Liam looked around in disgust.

"Try not to spit in my beer again, Johnny." – Amelia shouted to the bartender before she walked back to their table.

Liam took the beers from her and remarked carefully:

"So you come here a lot."

"Actually, I worked here for a year before university." – the girl replied with a smile.

The former prince looked at her in shock:

"Wow, that's cool."

"No, it isn't. You find it totally disgusting." – Amelia answered laughingly.

Liam protested so fiercely that he almost knocked his beer.

"No! I find it… refreshing."

Amelia looked him in the eye and she couldn't stop laughing.

"You are such a snob. Even your mother is better than you."

"You brought my mother here before me?!" – Liam cried out in astonishment.

"As it turns out, the queen loves good beer." – his girlfriend remarked teasingly, then she quickly added: – Relax, I'm joking… but I have to confess you something."

* * *

 _Castle Hope Rehabilitation Center_

"Group therapy sucks." – Eleanor remarked as she held hands with another girl who was walking in the garden with her. – "What's the point in talking about my mom over and over again? Everyone knows the whole bloody saga already."

"Relax. Everyone has mommy issues. Or drug issues. Or… boy issues." – the blond girl replied with a smile and kissed the former princess.

Eleanor rolled her eyes.

"Don't even talk about it."

The other girl took out a cigarette that she had hidden in her bra and said:

"That bodyguard of yours was a total loser when he let you go."

The former princess shrugged. She took the cigarette out of her girlfriend's hand and took a puff.

"Yeah. I'm over him now."

"I hope so, babe." – said the blond with a laugh and pressed a quick kiss on her lips.

They have reached the red brick walls of the rehab centre and sat against them. Eleanor hesitated for a moment, then she said:

"I'll be out in two weeks. My mom wants me to plan her fancy Irish country wedding so she will take me home for a while. You should come with me. I mean, if you want to…"

"Are you kidding?" – the blond girl asked back with a grin. – "I can't wait to get out of here."

Eleanor pulled her into an embrace and began kissing her. Suddenly they heard someone clear her throat. They looked up and they saw the old lady from the reception.

"You shouldn't be out here." – she said disapprovingly.

"Neither do you, Nurse Ratched. What if the junkies break out?" – the blond girl replied and winked at a giggling Eleanor.

The old woman gave them a reproachful look, then she announced dryly:

"A certain Mr. Frost is here."

Eleanor's face immediately turned into a grimace.

"Send him away. I don't want to see him."

"Wait!" – the other girl cried out and got up.

Her girlfriend gave her a puzzled look.

"Mandy! What are you doing?"

"I wanna check out this mysterious Jasper Frost for myself." – she said and walked toward the building.

* * *

 _Horseshoe & Clover Pub, London_

Amelia lowered her eyes and started to scratch the dirt on the table with her fingernails.

"Bringing you here was kind of a test." – she began shyly. – "I saw what happened to your ex-girlfriend. She was like me, she came from a different world. I wanted to see if you and I have a shot together."

"Okay…" – Liam replied, not being sure what he should say. – "Did I pass?"

Instead of an answer, Amelia took his face in her two hands and gave him a passionate kiss. Her boyfriend couldn't swipe off the grin, which spread across his face after that.

"Does this mean that I can take you on a normal date or should I book a table in a greasy spoon?" – he asked in mock seriousness.

Amelia understood the joke and answered accordingly:

"I don't know. I'm struggling." – she hesitated, then she let out a dramatic sigh. – "Fine. Maybe I could tolerate one or two royal dates."

* * *

 _Castle Hope Rehabilitation Center, Scotland_

"Samantha! What the hell are you doing here?" – Jasper cried out in shock after he saw his ex-girlfriend.

The blond girl looked at him with a smirk:

"What do you think? I'm finishing our plan. With or without you."

"What plan? They are not royals anymore. They don't have the Koh-i-Noor." – the former bodyguard protested.

Samantha Cook let out a scornful laugh.

"Do you really think they have left with nothing? There must be plenty of valuable things in their possession."

"I will tell Eleanor everything." – Jasper hissed between his teeth, barely capable of containing his anger.

However, his threats didn't frighten the girl. She laughed at his face as she said:

"Good luck with that. They don't even let you come in."

Jasper grabbed her arm and he was almost begging her:

"Samantha, please. She has nothing."

"I know." – the blond woman replied.

"What do you want then?" – her ex-boyfriend asked in confusion.

Samantha reached into her bra and pulled out a gold-plated playing card.

"The queen of hearts." – Jasper mumbled as he took the card from her.

"Also called as Helen of Troy. My father's favorite card in the deck." – the girl remarked.

The former bodyguard wanted to give the card back to her, but she didn't accept it.

"Keep it. Take it as a reminder of who you really are. You belong in Vegas, baby, with me." – Samantha remarked with an evil smile and she left.


	5. The Wedding of the Year

**The Wedding of the Year**

* * *

 _Helena's old family estate in Berkshire_

Helena wanted her second wedding to be different from the first one in every possible way. She and Alistair agreed to hold the ceremony on their farm where they first met and fell in love thirty years ago. The exclusive event, which was already called _the wedding of the year_ by the media, was planned to be a modest celebration with only fifty guests.

After a long debate, Helena and Alistair decided to go for a simple Irish themed country wedding. Eleanor was proven to be an excellent wedding planner. She decorated the house with wildflowers and attached gold ribbons and horseshoes on the seats. The guests were all very excited, only the bride was missing.

Eleanor found her mother standing in front of the mirror in her childhood bedroom. She was wearing a flowing strapless gown, designed by herself, with a wreath of daisies braided in her hair.

She poured herself a glass of whiskey and downed it as soon as she saw her daughter. She looked back in the mirror and lifted her hand to her ear.

"I don't want these earrings. I was wearing them on Robert's funeral. It wouldn't be appropriate to wear them now."

Eleanor helped her remove the earrings and put them on the table.

"Mom, what's wrong? Don't tell me you got cold feet."

Helena was staring at their image in the mirror as she replied:

"What if I disappoint him? What if he figures out that I am not the woman he wants?"

Her daughter let out a soft chuckle.

"He has known you for thirty years. I think he would have figured it out by now." – she remarked laughingly. – "Mom! This is the day you have dreamed of since you were sixteen."

"But I'm not sixteen anymore and neither does he!" – her mother snapped at her, then she added, almost inaudibly. – "We have changed."

Eleanor was a bit taken aback by this, although she was sure it was just the nerves talking.

"You can still cancel the wedding if that's what you really want." – she remarked softly.

Helena turned around to face her. She didn't have a chance to reply because her daughter's girlfriend appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, babe! The guests and the groom are a little impatient." – she said to Eleanor, then she turned to the former queen. – "You look absolutely breathtaking."

Helena gave her a forced smile and remarked with an ill-concealed sarcasm in her voice:

"You Americans are no stranger to hyperbole, but thank you, Mandy. Please, tell the guests I'll be right there."

* * *

After the short delay, the wedding went smoothly. It was simple and touching, exactly as planned. Despite the chilly weather, many guests enjoyed the music outdoors and danced in the torch-lit garden.

Helena used the chance to get away from them for a moment. She walked across the grass, heading toward a hedge maze which was a present from her father for her tenth birthday. As she reached the centre of the maze, she was surprised to see that someone else was already there.

"I didn't expect anyone here." – she said when she saw her ex-husband sitting on a bench.

He smiled at her and replied with ease:

"And I knew you would come eventually."

Helena returned the smile and took a seat next to him.

"I know it was a strange request, but I'm glad you came."

"Believe it or not, I was waiting for this day." – Simon answered with a bitter sigh. – "I have always felt guilty about taking this away from you. All of it."

The former queen looked at him with surprise.

"You didn't take anything from me. My mother, my father… they forced me into that marriage, but not you."

"Still, it wasn't right." – Simon remarked softly.

"It wasn't." – Helena agreed.

They were quietly listening to the music coming from the house, admiring the starry night.

"Although we've made the most of it." – the former king remarked after a little while.

He slipped his hand into his ex-wife's who gently squeezed his fingers in return.

"We did." – she smiled, purposely avoiding his gaze. – "For a while."

Simon gulped. He let go of his ex-wife's hand, which made her look at him.

"And now, you are married to Alistair. After all those years. Who would have thought?" – he said, forcing a laugh.

"You think it's like going back in time, but it's not. It's different." – Helena mumbled.

Simon lost his temper for a moment and replied sarcastically:

"I bet. Legitimacy kills the excitement."

The former queen was surprised by the sudden outburst, she hesitated for a moment before she said:

"It's not that. I have a feeling that he is constantly trying to change me back to the girl I used to be. He keeps taking me to those weird places: underground salsa clubs and hand-eating Asian restaurants in Soho... Maybe I would have enjoyed these kinds of things back then, but now…"

She looked at her ex-husband for a moment and she immediately regretted what she has just said:

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't say these things to you."

Simon shrugged.

"It's okay."

"It's not. I'm complaining about restaurants when I can finally be with the man I love." – Helena protested with a frustrated sigh. – "I just can't help feeling something is wrong. I can't go back in time. I can't be the girl he fell in love with and if I'm honest, I don't want to be. It wouldn't be right. I cannot be the wife of someone again who thinks that I'm not enough. I won't…"

She couldn't finish. Her ex-husband slowly leaned to her and kissed her. Her mouth had the taste of whiskey, but he didn't care. They deepened the kiss. Helena let him gently lay her down on the cold stone bench, kissing her neck and touching her body through the dress before he climbed under her long white skirt.

By the time they heard that someone was coming, it was too late.

"What the hell?" – Eleanor screamed as she caught sight of her mother.

Her shock was even bigger when she recognized the man who crawled out from under her mother's dress.

"And I thought I was the one who is screwed up… but Mom, you are so much more screwed up than me. Seriously, what's wrong with you?!"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she rushed out of the hedge maze. Helena hastily straightened her dress, and followed her.

"Please, Eleanor, wait. I'm sorry. I know this was wrong and it should never have happened, but…"

"Really, do you think that now?" – her daughter asked back scornfully.

Helena finally caught up with her and they stopped.

"You can't tell Alistair. Please, I beg you."

"Watch me!" – Eleanor hissed between her teeth.

They were so close to the other guests now and shortly Alistair noticed them as well.

"I was looking for you everywhere. Is everything all right?"

Helena was looking from him to her daughter with growing despair.

Finally, Eleanor spoke:

"Alistair you should know that my mother has…" – she began.

Her stepfather gave her a questioning look. Eleanor couldn't stand either his or her mother's expectant gaze and she lowered her eyes.

"…had enough drink for today."

Alistair pulled his bride in his arms and kissed her.

"Mm, I can feel that… but since it's your wedding day I can give you a pass." – he said, then he turned to his stepdaughter. – "Thanks for watching, Len. We are lucky to have you."

Eleanor gave him a forced smile, then she left them. She decided to go for a walk to clear her head.

* * *

Her idea of a peaceful stroll failed as soon as Eleanor bumped into her ex-boyfriend.

"You are stalking me." – she stated matter-of-factly.

The smirk on Jasper's face just made her even angrier. She was about to leave when he stopped her:

"Please, just listen to me."

Eleanor turned around to face him.

"Why? Why on earth should I listen you, Jasper?"

"I just want a chance to make it right." – her ex-boyfriend replied casually. – "What's it gonna take for you to forgive me?"

The former princess threw up her hands and gave him a scornful look:

"Mother's vagina? Deal-breaker." – she said categorically. – "What are you doing here anyway?"

Jasper shrugged and let out an awkward smile.

"I was invited."

His ex-girlfriend shook her head in disbelief.

"Unbelievable. That fucking bitch." – she murmured, then she suddenly looked the former bodyguard in the eye. – "See? That's my point. Every time you have a chance, you betray me. Every fucking time you do my mother's bidding. You always choose her over me."

"That's not true." – Jasper mumbled, but Eleanor didn't listen to him.

She ignored his words and continued with the same intensity:

"And why? Why can't anything be normal with you? Why does it always have to be blackmail and secrets and hell, even arresting me?"

"You should thank me for that one. It saved your life." – Jasper remarked.

Before Eleanor could have come up with a reply, they heard some strange noise from the nearby bushes.

"Who is there?" – Jasper cried.

A blond girl appeared behind the hedge and slowly approached them. She was holding a phone in her hand and apparently she was recording them.

"Mandy? You scared the shit out of me. Why did you sneak up on us like this?" – Eleanor asked in surprise.

Her ex-boydyguard ,however, wasn't so forgiving. He tried to take away the phone, but Mandy was quicker.

"Get the hell out of here." – he shouted at her.

Eleanor stared at him in shock.

"Whoa whoa whoa. You can't talk to her like that."

The other girl shrugged her shoulders and remarked with a triumphant smile:

"It's okay. We are old friends."

"Don't listen to her." – Jasper said immediately.

Samantha pretended to be offended by this and walked over to Jasper with a sad face.

"Are you ashamed of me?" – she asked in mock innocence, then she added. – "I heard you two have some trust issues. Therapy says the best way to deal with them is communicating."

With these last words, she turned to Eleanor and gave her a knowing wink. The former princess was looking at her in confusion, then she turned to her ex-boyfriend.

"Yeah, Jasper, tell me."

Jasper let out a big sigh, but he knew there was no turning back.

"Back in the Palace you wanted to know why I was really there. It was because of her." – he said softly, then he lowered his eyes. – "Because we wanted to rob you."

Eleanor was looking from one to the other, waiting for the punch line, but both of them remained silent.

"Leave. Just leave. Both of you." – she told them in a hoarse voice.

"I was about to go anyway. I have everything I have come for." – Samantha replied with an ill-concealed smile, then she turned to Jasper. – "And we believed that only diamonds can have value…"

She backed away from them, waving her camera phone and she said to Eleanor:

"This little thing will bring me so much more money. I'll get in touch with your family soon to let you know my demands."


	6. Domino Effect

**Domino Effect**

* * *

 _BBC News_

 _NEWS ANCHOR: St. Mary's Hospital spokesman confirmed the news that a member of the former royal family was indeed taken to their emergency department just an hour ago. While we still don't know who is the person in question, several witnesses claim to have seen her former majesty, Queen Helena and her new husband leaving Heathrow Airport in a hurry. I give the floor to our correspondent, Peter Browning, who is standing in front of the hospital._

 _CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, Molly. I saw Helena arriving just a few moments ago with her husband, Alistair Lacey. It's a hell of a honeymoon. They were not willing to comment the news, however, Helena's assistant, Rachel Moore, who was with the couple, promised to release a statement shortly._

* * *

 _St. Mary's Hospital_

Helena and Alistair still had their suitcases dragging behind them when they entered the hospital.

Simon was sitting on a plastic chair in the waiting room. His son's girlfriend, Amelia was crouching by the window with her back against the wall. They stood up immediately when they saw the former queen with her assistant and her new husband.

"How is he?" – Helena asked worriedly.

"He is still in surgery." – Simon replied.

His ex-wife let out a nervous sigh. Alistair put his arms around her from behind and asked the other man:

"What happened?"

The former king looked from one to the other before he answered:

"He was stabbed."

Amelia winced as she relieved the terrible news. Helena looked at her, then she turned back to her ex-husband:

"How… how could someone stab him?"

No one answered. The former queen leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.

"It can't be happening. Not again." – she mumbled to herself.

Her ex-husband walked over to her and took both hands in his.

"It won't. He's going to be fine."

Helena jerked away her hands.

"It'd better be." – she hissed angrily. – "Because if I lose another son, it will be on you. Your reckless and irresponsible idea to abolish the monarchy..."

Simon backed away from her. He was thunderstruck.

"You are calling _me_ reckless and irresponsible?" – he asked in shock. – "You should look into a mirror. I'm sure you did it quite a few times on your _big day_ yesterday."

He wanted to continue, but Alistair interrupted him.

"Stop this. Neither one of you is right. And hurting each other will definitely not help Liam."

Simon was about to say something, but he realized he was right. He sank helplessly into a chair and bowed his head. Helena buried her face in Alistair's chest and let him calm her down with his caresses.

They were silent for a while until Eleanor stormed into the waiting room.

"Sending Jasper to fetch me? That's a new low, even for you." – she shouted at her mother.

"I had my reasons." – Helena replied firmly, still in her husband's arms. – "Where is he?"

Eleanor folded her arms in front of her chest.

"As usual, he was very eager to please you, but I told him to piss off."

Amelia stepped forward to prevent another family fight.

"Len, this is not the time, nor the place for arguing."

Eleanor looked at her in surprise. It was clear that she didn't notice her until now.

"What's going on?" – she asked her with a worried look.

The red-haired girl did not answer, but instead she looked helplessly at the former queen. Helena cleared her throat and looked her daughter in the eye:

"Your brother was attacked."

Eleanor had a million questions, but an approaching doctor interrupted them.

"Mrs. Lacey?" – he addressed the former queen.

Helena didn't move at the mention of her new name, Eleanor had to poke her to pay attention.

"Mom! He is talking to you."

Her mother finally looked up to the doctor and apologized:

"I'm sorry."

"My name is Dr. Morel. I did the surgery on Liam." – the doctor began.

Simon and Alistair stood a few meters away, but they gathered around the doctor to hear him speak.

"He lost a great amount of blood, but we managed to stabilize him." – Dr. Morel continued. – "Unfortunately, the stab was too deep and it penetrated his liver. He will need a transplant. I need your authorization to put him on the waiting list."

Helena and Simon exchanged a quick look, then she nodded.

"Yes, of course."

The doctor gave her a small smile, then he added:

"Also, I have to tell you that in these cases the time is critical. A direct donation from a family member or friend could significantly increase his chances."

The members of the little company looked at each other. They all wanted to help Liam.

After he made sure that they were aware of the risks and consequences, Dr. Morel informed them about the following steps:

"In case you are all willing to be potential donors, I will need a simple blood test first. There is a higher probability to find a match among the family members, but sometimes unrelated donors are proven to be more compatibles."

* * *

After giving their blood, they all sat silently in the waiting room, pressing a cloth on their wound.

Rachel discreetly walked over to the former queen and whispered into her ears:

"I just got a message from Samantha Cook."

"Samantha Who?" – her boss asked, uninterested.

"Samantha Cook. Eleanor's girl… ex-girlfriend? She is threatening to expose some secret love affair of yours."

Helena nervously looked around, then she pulled her assistant aside.

"What does she want?"

Rachel showed her the message in question and resumed its content:

"10 million pounds. Or else she will expose you for the cheater slut you are. Her words, not mine."

"My secret love affair… Can't she be more specific?" – Helena asked, annoyed. – "Tell her, I don't pay a penny until she gives me some proof."

* * *

Not much later, a young nurse appeared in the waiting room. She seemed very embarrassed. At first, the former royals thought that their famous personality was the cause of her strange behaviour, but they were wrong.

"We have the results. Mr. Alistair Lacey, could you come with me, please?" – the girl stammered in a small voice.

They all stared at her in astonishment, then they turned to the former queen. Helena became whiter than the wall behind her. She seemed as shocked as everybody else, but she couldn't fool them. They were not stupid.

Finally, Eleanor was the first to be able to speak:

"Alistair? How is this possible? What about us?"

The young nurse lowered her eyes and pretended to be very busy staring at her shoes. Then she took a deep breath and looked at the former princess:

"You were a match. But because of your former drug addiction, you are not an eligible donor." – she sputtered as if it was a memorized text. – "As for your parents, family members don't necessarily have the same blood type."

Helena couldn't hold back a sigh which didn't escape her daughter's attention. Eleanor was still looking at the nurse, but she was speaking to her mother:

"Yes, but if Alistair is a match… I mean… Mom, tell me it's just a coincidence."

Finally, she forced herself to turn to her mother and look her in the eye. Helena couldn't bring herself to answer, but her silence meant more than any word she could have said.

"It's not a coincidence." – Eleanor heard Alistair's voice behind her back.

"Did you know about it?" – the former princess asked in a trembling voice.

Her stepfather shook his head.

The young nurse cleared her throat.

"Mr. Lacey?"

Alistair looked up, ready to follow her, but the nurse turned back to the others:

"Dr. Morel says that you can now see Liam, but only one at a time."

* * *

"Hi, darling! How are you feeling?" – Helena asked immediately as she sat on the edge of her son's bed.

Liam eyed his mother up and down and he replied with a smile:

"Seeing you so worried kind of freaks me out. Other than that, oh, and the fact that I was stabbed, I'm okay."

His mother let out a soft chuckle and pulled closer to him. She gently caressed his face and adjusted the blanket on him.

"The doctor said I would need a liver transplant. Did you find a match yet?" – Liam asked curiously.

Helena silently nodded.

"And? Who is it?" – her son asked impatiently. – "It's not like a big secret or anything."

His mother hesitated for a moment before she replied:

"It's your father."

Liam couldn't understand his mother's strange behaviour. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but Helena was quicker than him.

"Listen, darling. Do you remember anything about the attack?"

The former prince shook his head.

"It happened so fast. The only thing I know is this." – he said and picked up a necklace from his nightstand. – "The paramedics found it on me."

Helena took the pendant from him and carefully looked at it. It had the same domino symbol on it as the black cards she was kept getting over the years.

"Does it say anything to you?" – Liam asked eagerly.

"No." – his mother lied. – "Do you mind if I keep it?"

His son shrugged. He didn't care much, but then he changed his mind:

"I think we should show it to the police."

Helena gave him a reassuring smile and said:

"Sure. I'll have Jasper take a look at it."

She got up from the bed. She was about to leave, but she turned back from the door.

"Do you remember when you lost your first baby tooth? You were terrified that all your teeth would fall out at once."

Liam frowned. He didn't know why his mother was bringing up this.

"Yeah. Robert and Eleanor laughed at me. Even Dad didn't take me seriously. But you told them that there is nothing funny about fear."

Helena glanced at the necklace in her hand, then she looked at her son:

"I still think that." – she remarked with a nostalgic smile. –"I made so many mistakes, but I hope you know that I love you."

Before Liam could have answered, his mother stepped out of the room and disappeared behind the door.

* * *

By the time Helena left her son's room, Alistair was already waiting for her.

"Come on, Helena, we are leaving." – he said in a commanding voice.

The former queen was about to follow him without a word, but her assistant stopped her.

"What should we do about Samantha Cook?"

Helena looked at her with a bitter smile and said:

"Samantha Cook hardly matters anymore."

* * *

 _Alistair's cottage, East London_

"Are you going to say something?" – Helena asked her husband when they got home.

Alistair took their suitcases inside and tossed one of them to his wife. Then, he hurriedly opened the other, his own, and he shook its contents on the floor. Helena looked at the scattered shirts and jeans in horror.

"Here." – her husband said and pushed the empty suitcase to her too. – "Knowing you, one bag won't be enough. Now, get your stuff and get out."

"Alistair, please. You can't do this to me. Just listen to me." – Helena pleaded him in a trembling voice.

"You can talk while you are packing." – her husband remarked bluntly.

The former queen didn't protest anymore. She went to their bedroom and returned with a pile of clothes. She knelt beside the empty suitcase and slowly she began to fold her dresses, then put them in the bag.

"I was in an impossible situation. What should I have done?" – she asked weakly and looked up at her husband.

"Tell the truth. The moment you got pregnant, you should have told me the truth." – Alistair replied, raising his voice.

Helena winced.

"I couldn't do that." – she mumbled. – "I couldn't do it because then you would have wanted them. And you would have wanted me."

"Of course I would have." – Alistair lashed out angrily.

His wife lowered her eyes and continued packing.

"I couldn't risk that. I had a son. Simon and his mother would have never let me see Robert again."

Alistair shook his head and folded his arms in front of his chest.

"Bullshit. You were his mother."

"And they were the Royal Family. You still don't understand it, do you? The only reason I was part of that family because I had a ring on my finger." – Helena cried out in despair.

Her husband didn't answer. Helena glanced anxiously at him.

"Will you have the surgery?"

Alistair rolled his eyes.

"You didn't leave me much choice. He is my son. Of course I'll have the surgery." – he replied flatly.

He walked over to her and looked at the suitcase which was now almost full.

"Are you finished?"

Helena put the last one of her clothes in the bag and closed it. She got up and looked her husband in the eye:

"Please, Alistair, don't throw away thirty years." – she whispered softly.

Her husband looked at her hesitantly, then he remarked quietly:

"You were the one who threw away thirty years when you decided to lie to me."

"I was thinking about my son." – Helena mumbled in defence while a few teardrops escaped her eyes.

"You were thinking about yourself. As always." – Alistair said bitterly, then he pointed at the suitcases. – "Do you need help with them?"

Helena shook her head. She took a deep breath and wiped off the fresh tears that were rolling down her face.

"I will be fine." – she said and grabbed the two suitcases.

* * *

 _The Lanesborough Hotel, London_

Helena was sitting alone on the edge of the bed in her giant hotel room, with her face buried in her hands. She couldn't remember when was the last time she was alone or in a hotel.

She got up to reach for her purse. She was looking for her phone when her fingers suddenly touched the necklace with the domino symbol on it. She quickly put it back, then she grabbed her phone. She called a number, but only the answering machine replied. Helena waited a moment before she spoke:

"Hi, Rachel, it's me. I need you to track down someone for me. His name is Jeffrey Stewart. Please, tell him that I'm ready to meet."


	7. Stewart Little

**Stewart Little**

* * *

 ** _Jeffrey Stewart's mansion, London_**

Helena was slowly walking up the stairs of Jeffrey Stewart's luxurious modern villa. The owner of the house was already waiting for her in the living room.

" _Stewart Little_. Long time no see." – Helena greeted him in a scornful tone.

"I guess you have found the necklace." – Mr. Stewart said in response. – "Please, have a seat. Would you like some tea?"

He motioned to Helena to sit down and he called in a maid. The girl poured a cup of tea for both of them, then she left with a curtsy. The former queen hesitated for a moment before she tasted the hot drink.

"I didn't poison it if that's what you think." – Jeffrey Stewart remarked with a laugh. – "I generally prefer other means as you may have noticed."

Helena rolled her eyes, then she took a sip from her cup. Jeffrey eyed her up and down curiously, then he asked:

"Did you come alone?"

The former queen let out a forced chuckle.

"Both of my husbands were in the military. Do you think they would let me come here alone?"

She was bluffing. But her mock confidence didn't fool Jeffrey.

"As if either of them were on speaking terms with you. You have messed that up royally, _Nellie_." – he said triumphantly.

Helena winced at the mention of her childhood nickname. She put down her cup and looked Jeffrey in the eye:

"I wish the fact that they are not Simon's children would make the twins less of a target, but I can't take the risk." – she said in a chillingly calm voice. – "You killed my son and now you tried to kill the other. If you want revenge, I'm here, but I can't let you near my children again. So tell me: what do you want?"

The outrageous question made Jeffrey lose his mind. He jumped up and smashed his cup against the wall behind her.

"What do I want? What do I want?!" – he shouted. – "You killed my sister. I loved her, she was my sister and you killed her."

Helena jumped to her feet as well and stepped closer to him:

"I was ten times the sister Dominique ever was to you!"

* * *

 ** _Helena's old family estate in Berkshire_**

 _Young Helena was flushed with excitement as she ran through the ballroom, dodging the dancing guests, through the long hallway, all the way to the stables._

 _She stopped in front of the old barn to catch her breath when she realized she wasn't alone._

" _Hey, Stewart Little, what are you doing out here all alone?" – she asked with a kind smile._

 _Jeffrey, who was about twelve years old, shrugged his shoulders._

" _I'm waiting for my sister. She promised to take me home."_

 _Helena looked at him with pity._

" _That could take a while. I have just seen her with Prince Simon."_

 _The little boy angrily kicked a tuft of grass as he replied:_

" _Great." – he mumbled, then he looked up to the older girl. – "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you entertain your guests?"_

" _They are my mother's guests, not mine." – Helena said with ease._

 _Jeffrey gave her a knowing smile, then he said:_

" _Domino says she wants to marry you to a royalty."_

" _Not just any royalty. She is dying to see me as a Princess." – the girl explained with an unconcealed contempt in her voice. – "But Prince Cyrus, seriously? Gosh, I would never marry him."_

 _Jeffrey let out a short laugh._

" _Why? At least, we would be a family then." – he remarked teasingly._

 _Helena snorted in amusement._

" _Yeah, you are right. Maybe I'll reconsider it."_

 _Soon, they noticed Alistair in the distance who was approaching on horseback._

" _A prince on a white horse…" – Jeffrey remarked sarcastically._

 _The girl beside him shook her head disapprovingly, but she couldn't hold back a grin._

" _Not a prince, thank God. We are having a picnic in the barn."_

 _Her smile, however, disappeared when she saw the boy's bitter expression._

" _Why don't you join us?" – she asked softly._

 _Alistair finally reached them and he got off the horse. He passionately kissed her girlfriend, then they all walked into the barn._

* * *

" _Are you sure you don't mind me being here?" – Jeffrey asked while they unloaded the food and drink that Helena stole from the kitchen._

" _It's fine, relax." – Helena replied and she sat on a haystack._

 _Alistair sat beside her and opened a bottle of beer with his teeth._

" _So your sister stood you up again, huh?" – he asked the young boy._

" _Alistair!" – his girlfriend hissed disapprovingly._

 _Jeffrey sat on another haystack opposite them and he let out a frustrated sigh:_

" _It's like I wouldn't even exist anymore… All she can say is 'Simon this, Simon that. It's fucking annoying."_

" _Language." – Helena scolded him, then she said in appeasement. – "Give your sister some slack, Stewart Little. She is in love."_

" _You are in love too and you didn't become a crazy person." – Jeffrey remarked objectively._

 _The young couple exchanged a quick look and they couldn't hold back a genuine smile._

" _You two are different." – Jeffrey continued. – "They are just hugging and kissing all the time… It's disgusting. I wish I would know what's so good about it."_

 _Helena suddenly had an idea._

" _Would you like to try it? With me?" – she asked._

 _The young boy gave her a puzzled look._

" _You mean…" – he mumbled_ _and his whole face turned red_ _._

" _Yes, the kissing." – Helena replied with an excited smile._

 _Jeffrey's face immediately turned red hearing her offer._

" _Uhm… I don't know…" – he stammered, then he looked at Alistair. – "Wouldn't you mind?"_

 _Alistair seemed a bit surprised too, but he just shrugged. Jeffrey turned back to Helena and nodded:_

" _Okay."_

 _Helena got off her haystack and climbed over to his. Jeffrey closed his eyes and held his breath until the girl gently pressed her lips on his._

* * *

 ** _Jeffrey Stewart's mansion, London_**

"Yes, you were ten times the sister Dominique was. That's why it was so hard to believe what you did. You married her fiance, you betrayed me, you…" – Jeffrey Stewart began, but the former queen interrupted him.

"You knew my mother, I had no choice. If Dominique had been alive…"

"But she wasn't." – Jeffrey remarked angrily. – "Because someone murdered her."

Helena lowered her eyes and remained silent for a while.

"I would have never hurt your sister." – she finally said. She wanted to sound calm, but she couldn't contain her feelings. – "How could you think it was me? How could you kill my son?"

Jeffrey let out a long, scornful laugh. Helena shuddered as she listened to it.

"It wasn't me. I wouldn't punish someone else just to make you suffer." – he said with a sarcastic grin. – "I sent the domino cards because I wanted you to remember… to never forget what you had done."

"Believe me, I don't need cards to remember." – Helena remarked bitterly, then she paused for a moment. – "All this time I thought that you were behind Robert's death."

Jeffrey Stewart didn't seem to be surprised.

"I knew you would think that. So I tracked down the real killer." – he remarked with ease.

The former queen's eyes widened in shock.

"Who is it?" – she demanded.

Jeffrey sat down and leaned back on the sofa.

"I want to hear a name too. Dominique's death wasn't an accident either."

Helena sat in a chair next to him and looked him in the eye.

"It wasn't me." – she said seriously.

"But you know who it was." – Jeffrey replied in a firm voice.

The former queen hesitated for a moment.

"Yes." – she whispered almost inaudibly.

The man beside her let out a satisfied sigh. He was now ready to share some information as well:

"Someone from the Palace gave the order to shut down Prince Robert's plane. I couldn't find out his identity until he tried again with Liam."

"How…" – Helena began, but Jeffrey read her thoughts.

"I have your children watched by my men. You're welcome." – he remarked with a wink.

Helena ignored the smirk that spread across his face and looked at him expectantly.

"And?" – she asked impatiently.

"It was your former head of security. Ted Pryce." – Jeffrey replied matter-of-factly.

The former queen couldn't believe what she had just heard. She needed a moment to process the information, but Jeffrey didn't leave her more time.

"Now, I need my answer." – he urged her.

"My mother killed Dominique." – Helena replied flatly, then she explained: – "Do you remember the maze labyrinth on our farm? It was made of a poisonous plant, we all knew that, but she purposely let your sister's horse eat it."

"That is why he went crazy and threw her off." – Jeffrey mumbled in disbelief and he buried his face in his hands.

When he looked up there was such hatred in his eyes that it left no doubt what he was planning to do with his sister's killer.

Helena knew that it would be pointless to try to stop him. She hesitated for a while before she spoke:

"My mother… She lives in Northumberland, but she often visits London. Usually, she travels on her own private train. She'll probably be an easy target there."

Jeffrey gave her a surprised look, then he looked at her with pity.

"I'm sorry."

Helena got up. She was about to leave, but suddenly she turned back:

"Please, make it quick. Don't let her suffer."


	8. Such a lovely day for killing

**Such a lovely day for killing**

* * *

 _St. Mary's Hospital_

Amelia and Liam were lying in the narrow hospital bed, stroking and kissing each other. The sudden buzzing of Liam's phone interrupted them. He fumbled for it on the nightstand, then he looked at the screen and put it down.

"Just my mother." – he mumbled.

"You should talk to her." – Amelia remarked softly. – "Maybe she has some explanation."

Liam rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure she has. You know I can't stop thinking about it. If my father hadn't abolished the monarchy we would have never found out about this." – he replied bitterly.

"It's not all bad. If you get to know Alistair, you'll see it." – his girlfriend said with a reassuring smile and kissed him.

They heard a sudden bang on the door and Eleanor's desperate voice from outside.

"I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

A moment later the door opened and the former princess appeared, pushing her biological father in a wheelchair.

"Look who I found." – she cried out triumphantly.

"The hero of the day." – Liam remarked with a smile. – "How are you?"

Alistair rolled closer to him and they gave each other a fist bump.

"Great, thanks. How about you, lovebirds?" – he asked.

Liam gave Amelia a knowing smile, then he turned back to his biological father.

"Good."

An awkward silence fell on the room. Eleanor took out some pot from her pocket and sat on the edge of Liam's bed to roll a cigarette.

"What?" – she snapped when she saw that they all started at her.

No one answered. Eleanor rolled her eyes and lit the cigarette.

Amelia picked up the remote from the nightstand and turned on the TV.

They were quietly watching the news until Alistair cleared his throat and broke the silence:

"I want you to know that if your mother had told me, I would have done everything to get to know you."

Liam and Eleanor exchanged a quick look, then they turned back to him.

"We don't expect you to be our father. We already have one." – Eleanor remarked matter-of-factly. – "But if you want to spend time with us…, I would be happy to see you around."

"Me too. You are family now." – Liam agreed with a smile.

Alistair gulped. He was moved by his children's words and he didn't know what to say. Fortunately, he didn't have to because another visitor entered the room.

"I'm sorry. I… I thought you were alone." – Simon stammered in embarrassment when he noticed Liam's entourage. – "I'll come back later.

"No. Please, Dad, stay." – Liam asked his father.

"The more the merrier." – Eleanor added and she motioned for her father to sit next to her on the edge of the bed.

Once again, it was an awkward situation. As they stopped speaking, they suddenly heard the news anchor's voice from the TV and they all turned toward the screen.

* * *

 _BBC News_

 _NEWS ANCHOR: Ted Pryce, who had been known as the formal Head of Security to the Royal Family, was found dead last night in his Chelsea apartment. The scattered furniture and the missing money pointed to armed burglary, but the police confirmed that there was no evidence of forced entry at the door, which may indicate that Mr. Pryce knew his attacker. Some people already see a link between this case and the earlier attacks against the members of the formal royal family._

* * *

 _The Lanesborough Hotel, London_

Soft music was played in the hotel lounge. Helena sat at the bar, engaged in a small talk with the bartender about whisky types, while drinking one glass after the other. She winced as soon as she heard her assistant's voice behind her.

"Where have you been all night?" – Rachel hissed angrily.

Helena let out a soft chuckle.

"Right here." – she replied in a harsh, drunken voice.

Rachel dragged her off the chair and led her to the elevator. When they reached their penthouse suite, she literally pushed her boss into the room. Helena stumbled to an armchair and sat down.

"What's going on with you? You are acting just like Eleanor." – her assistant snapped at her.

Helena couldn't hold back a scornful smile.

"What could be worse than being like my daughter?" – she asked in a sarcastic voice.

Rachel rolled her eyes, then said:

"Ted Pryce was murdered."

The former queen didn't show any interest regarding the information as she slowly zipped down her long leather boots and rubbed her ankles. Finally, she looked up to her assistant, who was still waiting for her response.

"So?" – she asked, uninterested.

"The police suspects there is a link between his death and the attacks against Robert and Liam." – Rachel replied objectively.

Helena shook her head, which was a bad idea because it made her feel more dizzy. She had to close her eyes for a moment before she answered:

"They are wrong. There _is_ a link, but not where they think."

Rachel frowned.

"How do you know?" – she asked in shock.

"Because Ted Pryce was the one who killed Robert and tried to kill Liam, and I…" – Helena began smoothly. – "I killed Ted Pryce… He was begging for his life, that son of a bitch. I keep hearing his voice in my head… Then he asked me if I wanted to know why, why he did it."

"And?" – her assistant asked almost inaudibly.

Helena shrugged.

"I said no and I shot him."

Her assistant stared at her with a terrified look.

The former queen finally looked back at her and her expression suddenly changed. As if she herself had just realized what she had done, her face mirrored her assistant's desperate look. She couldn't bring herself to say something.

"You should have told the police. Not doing this all by yourself." – Rachel mumbled.

Helena lowered her eyes. She began scratching the arms of her chair with her nails.

"I didn't have proof, just the word of an old friend." – she replied in a groggy voice. – "And I didn't know who would be the next target. Simon, Eleanor, Alistair… or even you. I couldn't let that happen."

They remained quiet for a while. The ringing of Helena's phone broke the silence.

"Yes, it's me." – she said when she picked it up, then she paused. – "I see. Thank you for letting me know."

* * *

 _St. Mary's Hospital_

Liam's phone started buzzing again. He looked at the screen and frowned when he saw his mother's face on it.

"You should pick up. Maybe it's important." – Amelia remarked gently.

"She just wants to manipulate her way back into our life." – Eleanor replied instead of her brother, with utter disdain in her voice.

A moment later, her mother tried to reach her as well.

"There she goes." – she mumbled and she dodged the call.

Her father, who witnessed the scene, shook his head disapprovingly.

"No matter what happened, she is still your mother. Don't forget that." – he said in a firm voice.

Alistair, however, had a different opinion and he didn't hesitate to express it:

"They have every right to be angry with her. What she did is unforgivable."

Simon gave him a surprised look.

"With all due respect. Alistair, stay out of this." – he said in a cold voice.

"I'm their father." – the other man answered abruptly.

The former king let out a scornful chuckle.

"For three days. And you are already trying to turn the children against their mother." – he remarked with reproach. – "Yes, she made a terrible mistake, but she was the one who gave birth to the twins and raised them in the past twenty years."

Eleanor and Liam exchanged a quick look, then the former prince cleared his throat:

"Uhm… we are right here."

The ringing of Simon's phone ended the conversation. He got up from the bed and walked over to the window to pick it up.

"Helena?... Yes, I'm with them…" – he said when he heard his ex-wife's voice. – "What? I'm sorry. How did it happen?... Of course, I'll be there. They will be too… Please, call me if you need anything. Bye."

The twins felt that there was something wrong as they listened to the conversation. Simon let out a sigh as soon as he put down the phone and turned to his children:

"Eleanor, Liam. I'm so sorry. Your grandmother passed away this morning."


	9. Mommie dearest

**Mommie dearest**

* * *

 _Lady Alexandra, formal Duchess of Oxford's estate, Northumberland_

If Helena's and Alistair's was the wedding of the year and would probably be the divorce of the year, then the late Duchess of Oxford's was the funeral of the year.

Helena decided for it to be held on her mother's estate in Northumberland. According to her wishes, there was a wake before the ceremony and a lot of prominent people came to pay their respects to this extraordinary member of the formal royal family.

The paparazzi couldn't miss this important event either. As soon as Helena got out of her car, they surrounded her and bombed her with questions.

" _Helena! Helena! Is it true that your mother was murdered?... Do you think it was the same killer who killed Ted Pryce and tried to kill Liam?... Helena! Aren't you afraid that the perpetrator is still out there?"_

The former queen ignored their questions and with the help of her assistant, she tried to cut her way through the crowd of reporters. However, they didn't give up so easily and soon moved on to other topics.

" _Helena, here! How could you hide that the twins were not the king's children? … Did you know all along?... Was Prince Robert a bastard too?... Why aren't you answering?"_

Helena turned to Rachel and whispered something to her. Her assistant nodded, then walked over to the big iron gate and entered the code to let themselves in. One paparazzo was so aggressive that he attempted to follow them inside the property. Rachel was quicker and closed the door right in front of him, but it didn't stop him. He shook the bars and shouted after them:

" _Some kind of queen you were, huh, Helena_? _Lying and fucking all around… Thank goodness your fucked up kingdom is over, you bloody whore. You are a disgrace to our nation."_

* * *

Eleanor was tired. She was awake all night, thinking about her grandmother… then her brother… then her grandmother again and all the things she learned from her throughout her life. The thought of losing her, right after losing Robert as well, made the pain unbearable.

She leaned against the duchess' coffin, which was placed in the parlour, and let out a sigh. She took out her phone and typed a short text. She didn't have to wait long for the answer because the recipient of the message appeared in the doorway.

"Doug, finally!" – Eleanor cried out in relief when she noticed the man in black leather jacket. – "Did you get it?"

Doug reached into his pocket and pulled out two bags of cocaine. Before Eleanor could have got them, he shook his head.

"Money first, princess."

Eleanor snorted in disdain and started looking for money in her purse. When she saw that it wouldn't be enough, she took off her bracelet and gave it to him.

"It worths…" – she began, but Doug interrupted her.

"…much more than the coke, I know." – he replied scornfully, then he took the bracelet.

Eleanor eagerly grabbed the two little bags. After not finding a suitable place for them, she threw their contents on the coffin. Doug handed her a ten pound note with her father's face on it and held back her hair while she snorted the coke.

That was the moment when the former queen entered the room. She walked over to them and looked the drug dealer in the eye:

"Do we owe you anything, Doug?" – she asked in a chilling voice.

Doug shook his head and lowered his eyes.

"Then get out!" – Helena hissed between her teeth and motioned toward the door.

The young man was about to leave, but Eleanor stopped him.

"No! He is with me." – she said and put her arm around him.

Her mother took a deep breath, but she didn't protest.

"Your grandmother would be endlessly disappointed in you."

Eleanor let out a scornful chuckle.

"Yeah, you should know."

Even if her words did hurt her mother, she didn't show it. She was about to leave, but she turned back to her daughter and said:

"Destroying yourself won't help Eleanor. Look at the progress you have made! You have worked so hard not to be like this… a worthless junkie."

She reached for her daughter's face and wiped down the rest of the coke under her nose. Eleanor stepped away from her and couldn't hold back a bitter smile:

"You have made me one, Mom. It was your fault."

Helena lowered her eyes and let out a sigh.

"I know and I'm so sorry, darling. But there is so much more in you, don't waste it, please! Not because of me, not because of anyone else…" – she began in a soft voice, almost begging, then she looked at her daughter. – "I won't be around for a while so after this day you don't have to see me ever again. I really hope this will help you."

Before Eleanor could have replied, her brother walked into the room.

"The lawyer wants to read the Duchie's will. We should all go."

* * *

Helena and the twins sat around the great dinner table in the dining room together with other distant relatives of the late Duchess. They were sitting there about an hour, listening through a long list of Lady Alexandra's assets with the instructions who would get each of them. Finally, the lawyer cleared his throat and turned to the twins:

" _Eleanor and Liam, my beautiful grandchildren. You know I never use the word beautiful lightly, but this attribute is absolutely true of you, no matter who your father is. (Although you can probably thank_ _ **my**_ _genes for it rather than theirs.) I couldn't be prouder of the two of you. Therefore, it may not come as a big surprise that I will leave this house with the estate to you where we spent so many memorable afternoons together, and also my private train, the Duchess Express so that you could travel around Europe, as we always planned it. In addition, I want all my possessions, including my jewellery and artworks, to go to you as well._

The lawyer had to stop for a moment because Eleanor cried so heavily that he couldn't hear his own voice. Liam poured her sister a glass of water and handed her a handkerchief. The former princess blew her nose and her sobs slowly quieted. The lawyer looked at her for confirmation, then he continued:

" _Dear Helena, my only child. What could I possibly give you that would make you happy? Maybe a confession. A confession in which I admit everything you always wanted to hear from me, a confession I owe you for a very long time."_

Helena gave the lawyer a nervous glance as soon as she heard her name. The lawyer looked back at her and continued reading:

" _You were never the daughter I wanted to have. As a child, you were always satisfied with the simple country life your father provided for you. You were not ambitious, you never sought power, you fell in love with the first man you saw. How silly girl, I thought. I was wrong. I didn't let you live your life the way you wanted. Instead, I used your love and devotion to me and forced you to make the most terrible choice of your life."_

The former queen didn't like where this was going. She looked around the table and wanted to stop the reading, but everyone was staring at the lawyer, eager to hear the rest of the story. And he didn't disappoint them. Although he could sense Helena's anxiety, his job was to act in accordance with the will of the late Duchess of Oxford.

" _I look at you right now. You shook off your shackles and got rid of the burden of being the queen, and I see that you are thriving." – he continued with Lady Alexandra's words. – "I'm wondering: is this what you would have become if I let you? A kind, caring and compassionate woman with a man whom she loves, an exemplary mother…"_

Helena couldn't listen to it anymore. The room began to shrink around her and the lawyer's voice melted into the noise. Suddenly her ears were ringing and it was hard to breathe. She stood up to leave and just heard her daughter's scornful remark before she stumbled out of the room.

* * *

She didn't stop until she got out of the house. She was gasping for the fresh air and bent over to breathe more easily. Suddenly she heard a voice beside her.

"Are you all right?" – someone asked worriedly.

"No." – the former queen groaned and straightened up to face the owner of the voice.

Simon stepped closer and gently led her to a bench. He sat down next to her and mumbled softly to her:

"Just let it out. It will only be worse if you try to keep it inside. Let it out, my love, let it out."

His soothing voice calmed down his ex-wife, whose breathing evened out. She buried her face against his chest and released a long-needed cry. Simon put his arms around her and caressed her hair while she was struggling to stop her endless sobs.

The paparazzi, who were able to see them from the gates, didn't let the rare opportunity to go away. The cameras were flashing and clicking constantly, the reporters were shouting for them, but they didn't listen.

Soon Rachel appeared from nowhere with two giant suitcases and a coat on her arms and cleared her throat:

"We need to leave, Helena."

The former queen looked up to her and nodded. She sniffed her nose and quickly wiped off her tears. She got up and let her assistant help up her coat. Rachel handed her a pair of sunglasses as well and motioned toward a taxi which was parked in front of the gates.

"That's ours."

Helena and Simon followed her gaze and the former king frowned in confusion. He looked down at the suitcases, then back to his ex-wife and he asked:

"Where are you going?"

The former queen let out a sigh and looked him in the eye:

"I am moving to New York. I don't feel welcomed here anymore."

Simon didn't know what to say. He has never seen his ex-wife giving up.

"But… Come on, you know the children will come around and…" – he mumbled, but Helena interrupted him.

"It's not just the children. I have become a _persona non grata_ in my own country. Everyone hates me. I don't even have a private life anymore. I have no choice but to leave." – she began bitterly, then she added. – "Unless you have something to say…"

She gave her ex-husband an expectant look and he looked back at her. They were quietly staring at each other until the former king broke the silence:

"Have a safe trip and take care of yourself."

"You too." – Helena replied with a sigh. – "The twins need you. You will always be their father."


	10. Happily Whatever After

**Happily Whatever After**

* * *

 _ **A.N.: I planned this story only to be ten chapters as a warm up for Season 3. I don't want to** **write it simultaneously with the show because I'm afraid that my perception of the characters would change due to the new episodes so this is the end for now. Maybe I'll return to it later or I'll write a new story, I don't know yet... Thanks for reading and commenting, I really appreciate it.**_

 _ **Happy New Season For Everyone!**_

* * *

 _Good Night Britain with Eliza Stone_

ELIZA: "I'm so sorry for the delay, our next guest was… uhm… held up by… anyway, she is here now, so please welcome former princess Eleanor Henstridge.

 _Eleanor stumbles to the couch, almost falls over as she steps on the podium. Eliza gives her a worried look._

ELEANOR: "Ooops… Hi everyone! It's so nice to be here, Alice."

ELIZA: "It's Eliza. Anyway, let's get into it because you were late and it's a live show, we don't have much time. Your life has changed a lot recently. Do you mind me saying… it turned upside down?"

ELEANOR: "I don't mind, just say what you want. Everyone does that anyway."

ELIZA:…

 _Eleanor rolls her eyes. She lets out a sigh._

ELEANOR: "Yes, it turned upside down."

ELIZA: "Okay… so, according to the news we hear about you, it was quite a rough time for you. You got arrested, you went to rehab… and now the paternity scandal. How are you feeling?"

ELEANOR: "Like sh*t. It feels like sh*t."

ELIZA: "Let's try to avoid curse words, it's a live show and we can't bleep it so fast…"

ELEANOR: "Yeah, right, sorry. I'm just f*cking high all day."

 _Eliza nervously looks at the crew for help, but the cameraman and the director just shrug and avoid her gaze._

ELIZA: "Let's talk about your family then."

ELEANOR: "Great subject. Thanks, Ellie."

ELIZA: "It's Eliza."

ELEANOR: "Whatever."

 _Eliza gets angry for a moment. She gets up, contemplating a dramatic leave, then she sits back and let out a long sigh._

ELIZA: "You found out recently that former King Simon is not your father and that your real father is your mother's old flame and new husband…."

ELEANOR: "… ex-husband. Alistair is getting a divorce. Shocker, right?"

 _The audience is laughing. Eliza waits until they quiet down._

ELIZA: "What do you think of him?"

 _Eleanor leans back and sprawls on the couch. Obviously, she doesn't give a sh*t about this conversation, which annoys Eliza immensely._

ELEANOR: "Alistair? He is great. Ditching my mother makes him even greater. #ditchthebitch"

 _The audience chuckles, which makes Eleanor more confident._

ELEANOR: "Ditch the bitch! Ditch the bitch! Ditch the bitch!"

 _The audience is clapping and cheering and slowly begins to chant it after her. This is awkward for the crew of the show and the TV channel so Eliza tries to shut it down, but with no success._

ELIZA: "I have to ask the members of the audience to stay quiet."

ELEANOR: "This is kind of cool. I shall print it on a T-shirt, right?"

 _The audience is cheering. Eliza is trying to change the subject._

ELIZA: "Eleanor, please. What do you think of your father's sudden trip to the USA?"

 _Eleanor turns back to her with a grimace on her face._

ELEANOR: "Don't know, don't care. He is probably chasing my mother to get back into her p*ssy. Not that anything good ever came out of that place… except maybe Robert, but he is already dead so…"

 _She shrugs. This is a disaster. The director is waving to Eliza to wrap it up and shut the whole thing down._

ELIZA: "We have time for one last question. What are your plans for the future?"

ELEANOR: "Other than my awesome #ditchthebitch T-shirts? I don't know… It's kind of feels great the way it is… Yeah, I like it. Everything is f*cking great."

 _Eliza has a very hard time to_ _process it and_ _say out loud the next sentence._

ELIZA: "This was a very pleasant talk. Thank you for being here, Eleanor."

* * *

 _Studio Fifth Manhattan, the venue of Helena's Fashion Show_

New York Fashion Week was just days away. Helena and Rachel used every minute to rehearse with the models and put the final touches on the dresses. As the show was planned to be the opening of the Fashion Week, the venue was already decorated with _QH_ logos (short for _Queen Helena_ ), and large drapes to advertise the _Your Majestic_ collection.

Rachel looked at the screen of her mobile phone where she was following Eleanor's newest talk show scandal.

"This is a disaster. And it grows bigger and bigger." – she mumbled. – "I wouldn't return to London for a while if I were you."

Helena looked at her and shrugged.

"Good. I'm not planning to."

Her assistant gave her a surprised look.

"Don't you even care?"

"Of course I care. That's why I have left in the first place." – the former queen hissed angrily. – "This hostility… my daughter hates me, my country hates me and I have absolutely no control over either of them. So if you'll excuse me, I will focus on the only thing I have left."

She stopped the music and walked over to the models.

"This is New York, I get it, everyone is in a hurry, but I want something else." – she said to them in a firm voice. – "I don't want to see you _running_ in my clothes. For God's sake, it's not an Anne Hathaway movie."

The girls exchanged a confused look, then they turned back to Helena.

"What do you want then?" – one of them asked wearily.

The former queen was outraged by this tone, but she forced herself to calm down.

"Walk with smaller steps, don't trot like a horse." – she replied sarcastically. – "Your movements need be elegant and graceful so that the dresses could work on you. That's it for today, I'll see you tomorrow."

As the models disappeared behind the curtains, Helena turned back to her assistant. But instead of her, she found someone else sitting in the front row.

"Simon! What are you doing here?" – she asked in shock as soon as she saw her ex-husband.

The former king gave her a small smile and replied:

"We had parted so abruptly before you left. I wanted to see you."

The surprise was written all over Helena's features, but she quickly composed herself.

"That's great, but I am in a hurry. I have tickets for a new Broadway show." – she remarked coldly. – "I will call you later, all right?"

Her ex-husband gave her a puzzled look.

"That's it? I'm travelling halfway around the world to be with you and you ditch me?" – he asked angrily.

Helena winced at the mention of _that_ particular word. She let out a sigh and sat down in a plastic chair beside him.

"I don't know, Simon. You are sending me pretty mixed signals. First, you throw me out like yesterday's trash, you divorce me; then you kiss me and you know... on my wedding day; then you let me go without a word… and now you are here." – she explained in a soft voice. – "What am I supposed to think?"

"That I love you." – Simon answered passionately.

His ex-wife couldn't hold back a smile.

"It's not a good idea." – she mumbled.

The former king took both her hands in his own and squeezed them gently:

"What do you have to lose?"

Helena didn't pull away her hands, but she couldn't bring herself to look at her ex-husband. She stared at their clasped hands while she replied:

"Me? Nothing. But you… I cheated on you, I lied to you and you don't even know my worst."

"After twenty-five years I think I…" – Simon protested, but the former queen interrupted him.

"No." – she whispered and she shook her head.

"Why are you doing this?" – her ex-husband cried out in confusion.

Helena hesitated for a moment, then she continued.

"Dominique Stewart's death wasn't an accident. My mother killed her and I have known about it all along."

Simon let go of her hands and got up. He began to walk back and forth between the rows of seats. His ex-wife was staring at him for a while, then she cleared her throat:

"You should leave. You can still catch a plane back to London."

The former king looked back at her and stopped.

"What if I don't care?" – he asked seriously. – "It's time to let Dominique go. I have mourned for her long enough."

Helena slowly walked over to him and put her arms around his neck. She gave him a long, passionate kiss. He wanted to continue, but she stopped him.

"There is something else. Ted Pryce." – she said and she pulled away.

* * *

Liam and Amelia were walking on the streets of London, followed by a bunch of paparazzi. Amelia nervously kept looking back at them while her boyfriend decided to ignore the unpleasant company and continued to talk to her like they were alone.

"And just around the corner, that's my absolute favourite place in London. You will see why." – Liam explained and led her girlfriend toward a narrow alley.

Amelia, however, let go of his hand and stepped back.

"No, I really don't right now. Can't we just go home?" – she asked in a frustrated voice, then she walked back on the street until she found a cab.

She quickly got in and Liam had no choice but to follow her.

"What the hell was that?" – the former prince asked after they were both in the car, heading toward his apartment.

Amelia looked him in the eye and hesitated for a moment.

"I can't go on like this anymore." – she began softly. – "This attention… the rumours, the paparazzi... Your family is toxic."

"Wow, that's a bit strong." – her boyfriend replied with a frown.

Amelia regretted immediately what she had said and tried to explain herself.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. It's just…" – she mumbled and let out a sigh. – "Alistair and I are not used to this. We have never asked for it."

Liam looked at her, but he didn't answer. Amelia saw this as a sign of understanding, but she couldn't be more wrong.

"So there is a _we_ and a _you_ now." – her boyfriend remarked bitterly.

Amelia wanted to protest, but the former prince didn't let her:

"You are supposed to be on my side!" – he cried out in indignation.

"And I am! You are not being fair." – his girlfriend shouted back angrily, then she took a deep breath to calm down herself. – "Believe me, I compromised a lot for our relationship because… because I love you. I tolerated a certain amount of extra attention and I lived a partly public life for you… but this is too much. If it wasn't for your mother…"

Once again, Liam didn't let her finish.

"Guess what, Amelia, I didn't choose this life either. Neither did my sister, nor my mother for that matter."

Amelia let out a scornful chuckle.

"Yeah, but let's face it, they have a habit of ruining everyone's life around them." – she said in a sarcastic voice.

"Really? Because Alistair is just so innocent in all this. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't even sit here with you right now." – Liam shouted in rage.

They stared at each other like wild animals, then they suddenly burst out in laughter.

"Maybe this whole thing is not so bad after all." – Amelia remarked teasingly.

The former prince raised his eyebrows.

"Maybe?" – he asked back with a grin.

His girlfriend rolled her eyes and pressed a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Fine. It's good that it happened. For both of us." – she replied, then she became more serious. – "I just wish we could get away from all this. Just for a while."

"You couldn't be more right…" – Liam agreed. Suddenly a knowing smile spread across his face. – "… which is why I applied for a scholarship at the University of Melbourne."

Amelia playfully punched him on the shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me?" – she asked in mock indignation.

Liam shrugged and took her hands in his.

"I saw that you were suffering, I'm not a total jerk… But I didn't want you to get your hopes up until it was sure."

His girlfriend couldn't wait any longer.

"And?" – she demanded impatiently.

Liam took his time, just to annoy her, before he answered:

"I got it. So pack your bags, baby, we are going to Australia!"

Amelia almost screamed in joy, but her boyfriend quickly covered her mouth with his own, in the form of a passionate kiss.

* * *

Helena was relieved that she was finally able to tell the truth to her ex-husband. The whole truth about Domino and Robert's death, the deal she made with Jeffrey Stewart in exchange for the name of her son's killer, the murder of her mother and that one of Ted Pryce by her own hands…

"Are you going to say something?" – she asked her ex-husband who leaned on the catwalk's floor and lowered his head. – "Just tell me if I am going to spend the rest of my life in prison."

She wanted to sound calm, but her voice trembled a bit. She gently rubbed her ex-husband's back with her fingers. Simon turned around so suddenly as she touched him that Helena had to take a step back.

"I won't say a word to anyone." – the former king decided. – "But why? Why did you tell me?"

Helena gulped, then she took a deep breath.

"Because I'd rather let you leave me again than build another relationship on lies. I have learned my lesson." – she remarked with a bitter laugh.

She eyed her ex-husband up and down and she backed away from him. There was no need to stay any longer.

"And now if you'll excuse me, I can still get to the theatre." – she said with mock ease and she turned around to leave.

Simon's voice, however, stopped her.

"What you have done to Ted, it's something you have to live with for the rest of your life." – he remarked matter-of-factly. – "I honestly wish you could get over it, but it has nothing to do with me… or my feelings for you."

Helena turned back to face him. She didn't know what to say.

"I… I don't get it." – she mumbled.

Simon let out a genuine laugh and walked over to her.

"You don't have to." – he whispered in her ears and kissed her.


	11. Moving On

**_Moving On_**

* * *

 _ **A.N.:** **JulietLovesStories, this is for you.**_

* * *

 _New York, Helena and Simon's bedroom_

The clock showed 4.30 in the morning, it was still dark outside. Helena knew she couldn't go back to sleep so she walked out to the balcony and stared at the Central Park beneath her.

The cool breeze from the doorway has probably woken Simon. He sat up and tapped the glass of the balcony door with his fingers.

"Come back to bed."

Helena turned to him with a smile, then she walked back to the room:

"I can't sleep. I guess I'm still getting used to New York."

Her ex-husband shook his head disapprovingly.

"We both know why you can't sleep. You should talk to someone."

The former queen let out a soft chuckle.

"And tell what?" – she asked with a sarcastic smile and sat on the edge of the bed – "Ted Pryce can rot in hell. He got what he deserved."

Simon gave her a concerned look.

"It's not him I'm worried about. You have been through a lot lately. And not just Ted. Your mother's death, Liam's surgery, the divorce…" – he mumbled.

"You don't have to make a list, I can remember just perfectly." – his ex-wife snapped at him.

They remained quiet for a while, then Helena broke the silence:

"We should go out tonight. I got tickets for some dance performance."

The former king gave her a knowing smile before he replied:

"I'd rather stay in."

Helena looked at him in mock reproach.

"We are always here."

"Don't you enjoy what we are doing here?" – Simon whispered in her ears and kissed into her hair.

His ex-wife chuckled.

"I do." – she remarked with a smile and she turned to face him. – "You have certainly made up for the lack of passion in our marriage."

She wanted to caress him, but her ex-husband pulled away from her.

"Fortunately, you got that from others." – he hissed between his teeth.

Helena gulped.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." – she mumbled.

Simon nodded and gave her a hasty kiss.

"You know what?" – he said suddenly. – "You are right. Let's go to that dance show."

* * *

 _London, house party in some stranger's home_

"Another one." – Eleanor demanded after she snorted a line of coke from the silver platter in front of her.

Some others around her welcomed the idea and loudly cheered.

Eleanor got up and stumbled across the room until she found who she was looking for. Doug rolled his eyes when he saw her coming.

"Piss off, Princess. I don't have more."

The former princess ignored his words and pulled closer to him. She grabbed his hair and violently kissed him. Doug smiled and kissed back.

Eleanor reached into his pants and she pulled out of his pocket a bag of coke. She was about to walk away when someone in the crowd shouted:

"The police are here."

Eleanor only had enough time to turn toward the door before her gaze met a pair of familiar blue eyes.

 _Bloody Jasper Frost._

* * *

 _New York_

Helena and Simon walked arm in arm the corridors of the theatre after the dance show was over.

"Well, it was very… interesting. I really enjoyed it." – Simon remarked politely.

His ex-wife looked at him and burst out laughing.

"You are a terrible liar." – she replied with an ill-concealed smile. – "It was so chaotic. The nudity, the body painting… I mean, why purple? Though, one of the girls reminded me of…"

She couldn't finish because as they walked out of the theatre someone accosted them from behind:

"What a surprise! I thought I had seen you from the stage."

Helena shuddered as soon as she recognized the familiar voice. She wanted to pretend as if she didn't hear it and walk away, but Simon immediately turned around and greeted the owner of the voice with a genuine smile:

"Ophelia Pryce. It's good to see you..."

"…dressed up for a change." – his ex-wife finished his sentence in a different way than he intended it.

Ophelia's smile turned into a scornful grimace.

"And you, being mean as usual."

Helena was about to reply, but Simon cleared his throat as a warning to prevent them from making a scene on the streets.

Ophelia seemed to calm down and graciously changed the subject.

"How are the twins? It must be a difficult time for them. After the attack against Liam…" – she remarked innocently, but she couldn't resist mentioning the paternity scandal:

"…and finding out the truth about their father."

The former queen stared at her and her eyes sparkled with anger. Her ex-husband thought it wise to intervene again:

"Liam is fine now. Thanks to his biological father who gave him his liver."

His voice was tender and the words came from his mouth so naturally that Ophelia didn't know what to say. Helena gasped and looked at her ex-husband in amazement mixed with shock.

"I have never thought that the killer would come after my father, though." – Ophelia mumbled after a long pause.

Simon gave her a worried look, then he glanced at his ex-wife whose grasp on his hand suddenly became stronger. The former king was about to speak to save the situation, but apparently the years of routine helped Helena who took over the conversation.

"We are sorry for your loss, Ophelia." – she said softly and with her free hand she caressed the young woman's arm.

Ophelia looked at her and her eyes were filled with anger.

"I wish I could see his killer. I would look him in the eye and…"

"What would you say?" – Helena asked, forgetting herself for a moment.

Her ex-husband gave her a nervous look and slightly nudged her elbow.

It was enough for Ophelia to realize what she had just said. She looked from one to the other and lowered her head in shame.

"Nothing." – she mumbled.

"Oh." – the former queen replied, almost disappointed.

Ophelia couldn't make herself look at the former royal couple again. She found some excuse to leave and quickly said goodbye to them.

Helena stared after her as she disappeared behind the corner.

"Are you all right?" – Simon asked as he put his arms around her from behind.

The former queen turned around, but she couldn't stand her ex-husband's gaze. She lowered her head and her hands started to fiddle with his tie.

"I can live with what I did to Ted Pryce. But how can I live with what I did to _her_?" – she cried out bitterly.

Simon let out a long sigh, then he hugged her closer:

"We will find a way, love."

* * *

 _London_

Eleanor shook her head disapprovingly. She walked straight across the room, pushing some stumbling drunk people out of the way to face Jasper.

"I can't believe you followed me here." – she remarked sarcastically and folded her arms.

Detective Jasper Frost couldn't have felt more unpleasant in this situation. He nervously looked towards his colleagues, then back to the former princess.

"I didn't follow you." – he hissed between his teeth. – "We got a tip that some major drug dealer would be here tonight."

His intention to avoid attention failed when Eleanor burst out laughing.

"Tell me, Jasper. Did this _tip_ come by any chance from our favourite queen?" – she asked loudly while she put her arms around Jasper's neck.

"No. It was an anonymous tip. Like I said, it has nothing to do with you." – the former bodyguard replied angrily while he shook her hands off of him.

"You'd better get to work then." – Eleanor remarked with a sneer and spread her arms. – "Would you like to frisk me?"

She couldn't deny how much she enjoyed his growing despair as everyone was staring at them.

"Do you have anything on you?" – Jasper asked uneasily.

A wild smile spread across Eleanor's face as she pulled out the bag of coke from her bra and waved it in front of him. The former bodyguard turned detective quickly grabbed her wrist and made her drop the little packet.

He was still holding on to her arm as he pulled closer to her and whispered into her ears:

"Let me talk to you, please. I know I don't deserve it, but I just want a chance to explain everything."

The former princess freed her hand from his grasp and took a step back. She thoughtfully eyed him up and down for a moment, then she shrugged:

"Fine. But get rid of the cops first. Order them to leave my friends alone."

She gave him a defiant look, she clearly tested him. Jasper didn't take his eyes off her while he shouted to his men:

"All clear. Let's go."

"But Sir…" – a young officer stammered, but his boss didn't let him finish.

"I said there is nothing here. Leave. I'll take the lady home. Her uncle, the Foreign Minister wouldn't appreciate if any of this would go public."

Eleanor didn't live far away so they decided to walk to clear their heads. By the time they arrived at her apartment, the former princess looked more composed and sober.

She led Jasper to the kitchen and sat him to the table. She opened the tap and thirstily drank from it. She hastily wiped her mouth and turned to her former bodyguard:

"So… I'm listening."

Jasper took a deep breath, but he didn't know how to begin. Eleanor patiently waited with an expectant look in her eyes until he finally spoke:

"I know I fucked up. Big time. I lied to you, I betrayed you and I have no excuse." – he blurted out in one breath.

However the words failed him again and they both believed for a moment that that was it. The former princess glanced at the door, but then Jasper finally continued.

"The thing is that I love you and I can't see you suffer. Please, give me one last chance. Let me prove to you my love, let me do anything and everything for you."

Eleanor expected to hear something like this, but she didn't imagine it would hit her so hard. Tears started running down her face as she looked into Jasper's hoping eyes:

"I can't, Jasper." – she sniffed. – "I would if I could, but I can't. It's too late."

"Please." – the former bodyguard mumbled while he tried to wipe her tears.

Eleanor pulled away from him. She walked to the door and opened it:

"I'm sorry."

After acknowledging that Jasper wouldn't leave, the former princess let out a sigh and shut the door.

"I screwed up too, Jasper. And this time no one can save me." – she confessed in a choked voice. –"I am pregnant."


	12. Burning Bridges

**Burning Bridges**

* * *

" _I screwed up too, Jasper. And this time no one can save me." – Eleanor confessed in a choked voice. –"I am pregnant."_

Jasper shook his head in disbelief.

"No. You don't have to lie."

The former princess shrugged.

"It is true." –she remarked defiantly. –"16 weeks. Do you want to see it?"

Without waiting for an answer, she pulled her shirt up, revealing her stomach.

Jasper hesitated before he looked at her. As she stood beside him in the light, he could see her growing baby bump that was hidden under the baggy top.

He gulped.

"Who is the father?" – he asked after a pause.

Eleanor gave him a surprised look. She adjusted her top and let out a sigh.

"It could be anyone you saw at that party. Or a couple others." – she mumbled, then she suddenly cried out: – "God, I need to get high."

"You can't." – Jasper said indignantly.

The former princess snorted in amusement.

"Oh, I forgot. You are a cop now. – she said while she started looking for her hidden stash in the drawers.

"And you are pregnant." – Jasper added objectively.

"Yeah, that too." – Eleanor agreed with a bitter smile and shut the drawers.

She sensed Jasper's worried look on her.

"What?" – she barked.

"You should tell your parents. Or at least Liam." – the former bodyguard remarked with concern.

"No." – Eleanor snapped, then she added in a calmer tone: – "Not yet."

Jasper buried his head in his hands, then he looked up to the former princess:

"You can't do this, Len. Not the way you are now."

Eleanor didn't let him finish.

"Why not? I'm 21. My mother was the same age when she had Robert." – she said in mock ease.

"But you are not her." – Jasper cried out angrily.

Eleanor winced.

"What do you mean? I'm not what? Strong? Smart? Pragmatic? Tell me, Jasper, what am I not?" – she asked in a sarcastic tone.

Her former bodyguard got up and nervously paced the kitchen up and down.

"You are a shit show. You can't go on like this."

Eleanor gently grabbed his arm and made him stop. She made sure that he was listening to her before she spoke:

"I know. I will change, Jasper. I will throw out the drugs tomorrow. Or next week. It doesn't matter when, but I will. I will be a good mom… a great mom." – she cried out with growing enthusiasm. – "This is my chance to do something good. I will show my mother that I am better than she thinks… I'm better than her. You don't believe?"

Jasper looked at her with pity and shrugged.

"Yeah, I do. Just do it for the right reasons."

Eleanor didn't notice or didn't want to notice the sadness in his voice as she continued with the same determination:

"I will. Which is why I can't have you in my life right now." – finally she paused for a moment and lowered her voice: – "It's time for you to accept this and leave."

She didn't wait for Jasper to say something. She walked over to the door and opened it again.

The former bodyguard followed her, but before he left, he pressed a passionate kiss on her lips. Eleanor was surprised, but she returned the kiss.

"Are you sure?" – Jasper asked after they had a chance to catch their breath.

Eleanor gave him a small nod, then shut the door before he could try to change her mind.

* * *

 _Melbourne_

The cafe was full of people. Amelia had to stand on tiptoes to find Liam's table. Finally, she spotted him in a corner and quickly walked over to him.

"Hi, babe." – she greeted him with a kiss.

Liam kissed her back, then stared at her with a strange smile.

"What is it?" – Amelia asked nervously.

"You don't know how much I miss this smile every day." – her boyfriend mumbled.

Amelia let out a relieved sigh, then she remarked with a knowing wink:

"Maybe you don't have to miss it much longer. I found an apartment."

Liam's smile immediately disappeared as a sad frown took its place.

"Am, we talked about this. We don't have the money." – he replied bitterly.

His girlfriend, however, didn't give up so easily. She continued with undiminished enthusiasm:

"Just listen. I called Alistair and well… he was really pissed that we didn't say goodbye before we left, but he offered to pay the caution money."

The former prince became angrier with every word. Finally, he snapped at her.

"No. We can't accept." –he cried out. – "The whole point of coming here was to learn to stand on our own."

"The whole point was to live together… not in separate dorms miles away from each other. That was the point. For me at least."

Liam let out a frustrated sigh.

"We will figure it out, I promise. - he remarked quietly, then she looked at his girlfriend. – "Was he really angry? Alistair?"

Amelia shrugged.

"Not really. He asked if your mother knew about it."

The former prince rolled his eyes.

"Probably. She knows everything." – he replied in a disapproving tone.

Amelia gave him a confused look.

"How do you know?"

A shadow passed over his boyfriend's face.

"Today I went to the finance department at the university to ask if I could pay the tuition in instalments." – he said reluctantly.

"And? What did they say?" – Amelia urged him.

Liam looked at her, then lowered his eyes.

"They said it was already taken care of by Princess Mary of Denmark." – he blurted out in one breath.

His girlfriend thought she heard it wrong.

"What? Why?" – she cried out in shock.

"She is Australian. Apparently she is patron of the University." – Liam explained, then he added. – "And Robert was godfather to her twins."

They remained quiet, then Amelia broke the silence.

"I see. So you refuse your father's help…" – she began.

"My biological father." – Liam corrected her.

"… but when it comes to royalties you have no problem taking their money whatsoever." – she remarked in a sarcastic tone.

His boyfriend took her hands in his and made her look at him.

"It's not that." – he said, annoyed. – "It would cause diplomatic tension if I refused her offer. Besides, she is probably doing it for Robert. For his memory. And when something is about Robert, you can't really say no. If you stick around my family long enough, you'll see."

Amelia gave him a slow nod, then she looked at him with a knowing smile:

"And if you stick around me long enough, you will see that I don't miss a good opportunity. I have already accepted Alistair's contribution and paid the rent for the first month."

Despite Amelia's expectant look, Liam remained stubbornly silent.

"Are you mad?" – she finally asked.

"Yes." – her boyfriend replied in a serious voice, then he added with a sigh: – "You are damn lucky that I love you."


	13. Forgiven But Not Forgotten

**Forgiven But Not Forgotten**

* * *

 ** _Five years later_**

 ** _2022_**

* * *

 _London_

Eleanor was standing on the upper floor of a tourist double decker with a microphone in her hand. She looked older than 26 years with her shoulder length hair and red uniform of the travel agency. After everyone got on the bus and took their seats, Eleanor turned on her mic and started to speak:

" Good morning! Welcome everyone to our Royal Tour of London. My name is Eleanor and I will be your tour guide. We are going to see a bunch of sights today that played an essential role in our history and more importantly in the lives of Britain's Royal Families who are the main focus of this tour. From Tudors to Henstridges, I will show you where the royals lived, wed, died or even divorced."

She needed to hold on to the bus strap for a moment as the vehicle took off. She let the tourists take some pictures of the view, and of her as well, before she continued:

"I will tell you about the biggest romances and the bloodiest scandals within the palace walls. By the end of this tour, I hope you will see that underneath the fancy clothes and the ridiculous amount of jewellery these people are no different from any of you. Speaking of clothes: during the tour you can buy your tickets to the Madame Tussauds's special exhibition! Marking the upcoming London Fashion Week, the wax figures of the Henstridge Family are all wearing original _Queen Helena_ dresses. I hope you will enjoy the tour and if you liked it, don't forget to leave good reviews of me on our website and social media platforms. All right. Let's begin."

* * *

 _New York_

Helena and Simon sat in the backseat of a cab. They were holding a tablet and watching a speech Helena gave a few hours earlier in front of the newly-opened Prince Robert Hospital.

"…Let me thank all of you who have come here today to celebrate with us. With your help we have raised 500 million dollars to build the Prince Robert Hospital, here in New York City. I am so proud and I know that my son would be very grateful to you. He was just as devoted to the good cause as you are and I know that he would have made a wonderful king if he had been given the chance. The day he died, we lost more than our beloved prince. Robert's death ended the greatest monarchy on earth. And yet, here we are, five years later, to turn our bitter loss to a glorious victory. Thank you."

After the speech was over, Helena sank the tablet into her bag and turned to her fiancé:

"So how did you like it?" – she asked, then she remarked indifferently. – "You should have made one too. You are the one who is running this foundation, I just help out when I have the time for Robert's sake."

"One speech is enough. It was fine." – Simon replied, a bit annoyed.

His fiancée couldn't help but notice it.

"But you didn't like it. I could see it on your face." – she said in a disappointed tone.

The former king let out a frustrated sigh:

"I told you it was good."

Helena gave him a questioning look:

"But?"

"But I wish you wouldn't tell every time how great king Robert would have been." – Simon finally blurted out in one breath.

The former queen shook her head in confusion.

"Why not? That is the truth. If Robert hadn't died, you would have never thought of disbanding the monarchy." – she remarked blankly.

"That's not true." – her fiancé contradicted her.

Helena couldn't hold back a surprised cry as she said:

"Of course it is. If Robert was alive…"

"I would have done the same." – Simon finished the sentence with brutal honesty. – "I wanted to abolish the monarchy _because_ of Robert."

The former queen gasped in shock.

"What are you talking about?" – she asked with ill-concealed anger.

Simon gave her a worried look and hesitated before he answered:

"Are you sure you want to hear it?" – he asked gently, then he looked at his fiancée who nodded. – "I thought he wouldn't make a good king. And I told him that."

"You did what?!" – Helena screamed at him, then she took a deep breath. – "You are right, I can't listen to this."

She leaned forward in her seat and asked the driver to stop. She got out of the car and was about to shut the door when Simon shouted after her:

"Helena, wait. Let's talk about this. Where are you going? What about the dinner with Cyrus and Prudence?"

The former queen shrugged, then she remarked with ease:

"Cyrus texted. He can't make it so it will be just the two of you. Enjoy!"

* * *

 _London_

The bus took a slow turn and stopped next to a huge park. Eleanor waited until all her passengers got off, then passing between the bare trees and flower beds, she led them to a statue. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath before she spoke:

"We arrived at our last stop, my favourite one on this tour. This statue and the beautiful garden – beautiful in the summer at least – was built in memory of the last Crown Prince of England, Prince Robert. In closing, I would like to read a few lines from a letter written by King Simon to Queen Helena on 5th of July in 1992, just a few months after Robert was born. I practically snatched this letter from my mother's drawer so I would appreciate if you didn't mention it anywhere. So here it goes: _"What a beautiful day, my love. Even the old kings on the wall are smiling. I'm sitting by the window, watching you and Robert playing in the garden. He is but an infant and the world already want him to be the greatest and the brightest. I wish he could be just ours as long as possible. I realize I will never see him as a king. Yet, I don't feel sad, I am happy. Tell me: how is it possible to be so happy? If you saw this letter, you would think me silly. Why don't I go down and just tell you all this? As always, you would be right. So that is what I'm going to do. I won't waste any more time…"_

With these last words, Eleanor lowered the letter and put it back in her bag. After they realized that it was the end, the people around them applauded her and they slowly dispersed. Some of them stayed in hope of a selfie with the former princess who didn't disappoint them. She stood patiently at the base of the statue, accepting the congratulations and posing for the photographs.

After all the tourists finally disappeared, Eleanor looked up at her brother's statue and let out a long sigh. Suddenly she heard a familiar voice from behind:

"Do you think you have time for one more picture?"

Eleanor turned around to face him and a wide smile spread across her face:

"Jasper. What are you doing here?" – she asked happily. – "I thought you had moved back to Las Vegas."

Jasper Frost shrugged his shoulders in a casual way.

"I came back. I wanted to see you."

"Well, here I am." – Eleanor replied, a bit embarrassed.

For a long moment, they were just staring at each other quietly, then Eleanor broke the silence:

"Listen, I have to go. We'll spend Christmas at Sandringham with the whole family and I mustn't miss the 3 o'clock train."

"Oh… okay." – Jasper replied in mock ease, but he couldn't hide his disappointment.

The former princess noticed it too, and she felt pity for him.

"Wait." – she stopped him. – "Why don't you come up until I pack my bags?"

Jasper let out a relieved smile.

"Sure."

They walked quietly until they reached the apartment. It was the same one as five years ago, yet it was so different. It was clean and tidy with colourful furniture and it reflected Eleanor's unique style.

"So how are you?" – Jasper asked after his former girlfriend sat him down in the living room.

Eleanor laughed at him.

"Let's see. I have a job, an apartment and I'm sober…" – she began while she took her suitcase from the closet

"That's great." – Jasper remarked with an encouraging nod.

"Yeah. 11 months. I'm really proud." – Eleanor agreed, then her voice became more serious. – "It cost me a lot though to get here, I'm sure you heard."

Jasper's eyes darkened as he thought of the things he had heard from the former princess in the past few years.

"I have read about it, yes." – he finally said. – "Your daughter…"

"Lacey. Lacey Henstridge. To honour both of my fathers." – the former princess remarked with a hint of sarcasm.

Jasper gave her a small nod.

"Right. How is she?"

Eleanor's smile suddenly disappeared and her hand, that held the next pile of dress for the suitcase, stopped in the air.

"Honestly? I don't know." – she remarked bitterly. – "They took her away from me when she was still a baby. I really screwed up and when I had the chance to make it right I screwed up again. Long story short, I have lost my visitation rights and I haven't seen her in a year."

"I'm sorry, Len." – Jasper mumbled.

Eleanor shrugged and dropped her clothes in the suitcase.

"It's all right, I deserved it. It was probably for the best. At least for Lacey." – she said in mock ease, then she added: – "But I hope things will change now. I want to get her back. She is coming for Christmas too, I'm very excited about it. Do you think I have a chance?"

Her former boyfriend frowned.

"For what?" – he asked in confusion.

"Regain custody of Lacey." – Eleanor answered with a smile.

"Yes, definitely." – Jasper insisted. – "I mean you look great. You are an awesome tour guide and I love your new hair."

He was so enthusiastic that it made the former princess laugh.

"Thank you. You don't look bad either." – she remarked with a sneer. – "How was Las Vegas?"

The former bodyguard turned detective hesitated before he told the truth.

"There is nothing for me there anymore. That's why I left." – he finally said. He paused for a moment before he continued. – "I was thinking about you. All the time."

Eleanor gulped. She gave him a painful look.

"Jasper. I really hope you didn't come all the way here just for me, because I can't promise you anything. Whatever was… or is going on between us, my daughter is the first for me right now." – she remarked softly.

Jasper gave her a slow nod. They looked at each other expectantly, until Jasper cleared his throat and asked:

"Can I call you?"

The former princess let out a sigh and smiled at him.

"You can even write me a letter. I could use a new one on the tour…" – she remarked teasingly.

She rose beside her half loaded suitcase and escorted Jasper to the door.

"Eleanor." – he spoke softly to her. – "Merry Christmas!"

His former girlfriend gave him a smile and repeated after him:

"Merry Christmas!"

* * *

 _New York_

The apartment was dark, only the bedroom lights were still on when Helena got home.

"Simon, I'm home." – she began softly as she walked up the stairs. – "I was thinking. Maybe you were right. We should talk about it. I mean it won't be easy, we always saw Robert differently, but…"

She couldn't finish because the scene that greeted her in the bedroom made her heart stop for a moment. Her sister-in-law, Prudence was lying in her bed on top of her former and future husband.

"FML." – she mumbled.

Prudence jumped when she noticed her and quickly grabbed her clothes.

"I'd better leave." – she stammered and hastily started to dress up.

Helena eyed her up and down, watching her naked body with curiosity.

"Please, take your time. I don't want you to forget anything here." – she finally said with shrill sarcasm in her voice.

After Prudence gathered her things and left, Helena helplessly sank into an armchair beside the bed. Neither she nor Simon wanted to speak first. Then, the former queen suddenly burst out laughing. It was a long, painful laughter.

"I never thought it hurts this much." – she remarked in a surprised voice and she shook her head.

Simon gulped, then he remarked softly:

"You have a right to be angry, you know."

The former queen stared at him with an unreadable look.

"Do I?" – she asked and she let out a sigh. – "I just… After today I couldn't sleep in the same bed with you."

Simon looked back to her and nodded resignedly. He got out of the bed and put on a robe while Helena took out a set of new linen from the closet.

"Can I ask you a question?" – the former queen asked after a long pause.

She didn't wait for an answer before she continued:

"Back when we were married, you knew I was unfaithful. How could you lie next to me knowing what was happening?"

Simon gave her a puzzled look and let out a sigh.

"I knew what was happening, but I never knew when. Until I saw Jasper Frost walking out of your room." – he remarked bitterly, then he added: – "That's when I decided to leave you. But that was a long time ago…"

Helena nodded.

"Yeah, it was. Good night, Simon." – she said as she handed him the pile of bed sheet and blanket.


	14. Dont fly higher than you can safely fall

**Don't fly higher than you can safely fall**

* * *

 _New York_

Helena didn't get much sleep following the events of the previous night and the huge amount of whisky she drank afterwards. Therefore, she wasn't very prepared when her granddaughter marched into her room in the morning to wake her.

"Good morning, Nana!" – Lacey shouted joyfully and walked over to the window to draw the curtains.

The former queen grunted.

"Good morning, darling! You are up early." – she mumbled, covering her eyes with her hands to block the light.

She finally sat up and looked around the room, just in time to warn the little girl who was hopping toward her:

"Watch out for the bottle." – she said quickly, pointing to an empty whisky bottle on the floor.

Lacey stopped for a moment.

"There are two bottles." – she remarked indifferently.

"Bottles, then." – Helena corrected herself and rolled her eyes. – "Now come here, let me see your beautiful smile."

Her granddaughter ran to her and jumped into the bed. She kissed her on the cheek, then gave her a big smile.

"Do you like my smile?" – she asked happily.

"I adore your smile." – the former queen replied warmly and caressed the little girl's head.

Lacey climbed under the blanket and remarked in a serious voice:

"I only smile when I want to."

Helena couldn't hold back a yawn as she answered equally seriously:

"I know that."

Her granddaughter gave her another kiss, then she frowned.

"You are not smiling." – she remarked matter-of-factly.

"No, I'm still sleepy." – the former queen agreed as she squeezed her in her arms.

A teasing smile appeared on Lacey's face.

"I think you need a… coffee." – she said laughingly.

Helena gasped in shock.

"What did you just say? What did you say? We don't use that word in this house." – she cried out in mock anger.

Her granddaughter escaped from her embrace and jumped out of bed.

"Or what?" – she asked defiantly.

"Or the coffee monster comes here and eats you alive!" – Helena answered in a scary tone while she got out of bed, ready to chase the little girl.

Lacey, of course, knew what was coming and she was already at the door when she turned back and asked:

"What is it called?"

"Staaharbuuhucks." – the former queen replied without thinking.

Her granddaughter laughed and ran out of the room with excited squeals. Helena followed her to the kitchen where she suddenly stopped.

Simon was standing beside the kitchen counter, waiting for her with a bouquet of roses.

The former queen caught her breath, then took the flowers.

"Thank you." – she said uninterested, without really looking at the roses or her future husband.

* * *

 _Melbourne_

Liam was running up and down in the room like a mad person, throwing his things randomly in a large bag. He and Gemma had quite a few drinks last night and now they overslept.

"Gemma! What are you doing? Are you straightening your hair right now? We are going to miss the entire Christmas." – he shouted when he saw the naked blond woman in the bathroom.

"You realize it's only 22th December." – Gemma replied in a bored voice.

The former prince let out an angry grunt.

"Yeah, but I promised Len that I would help with the decoration and catering stuff. It's our first normal Christmas together after five years." – he explained and pulled the hair straightener from the outlet.

"Okay, I get it. I get it." – Gemma hissed angrily.

Liam stopped for a moment and gave her a hesitant look.

"Are you sure you want to come?"

"I'm in the middle of a nasty divorce. My parents aren't my biggest fans right now… so yes. I could use some friendly faces..." – his ex-girlfriend answered with a smile.

"Friendly faces?" – Liam asked with a skeptical expression.

Gemma rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I miss being with the royal family." – she blurted out with ease.

The former prince let out a sarcastic chuckle.

"You know we are not that anymore."

Gemma gave him a meaningful look.

"Don't be naive. You will always be that. Isn't that why Ophelia 2.0 left?" – she asked to provoke him.

Her plan seemed to work as Liam took a step toward her and hissed in her ears:

"Her name is Amelia. And you need to stay out of it."

His ex-girlfriend took advantage of the sudden closeness and put her arms around him.

"Come on! I missed you, baby. Didn't you miss me a little too?" – she whispered and tried to kiss him.

"Stop it, Gemma. It's just sex. We agreed." – Liam said firmly and escaped from her embrace.

He backed away from her and adjusted his shirt.

"What are you doing in Melbourne anyway?" – he asked after a short pause.

Gemma couldn't hold back a genuine laugh.

"What am I not? I must say the Aussies surpassed my expectations."

Liam let out an absent smile as he recalled the previous evening.

"Yeah, I could notice it when we met. Seriously though."

The diamond heiress lowered her eyes and started to wrap up the hair straightener's cord.

"My husband is here on a business trip. I thought I would come after him to beg for one last chance." – she mumbled, then she looked up to her ex-boyfriend.

"Wow." – Liam cried out in surprise.

Gemma frowned in confusion.

"What?" – she snapped.

"Nothing. It's just… I never thought you cared about the guy. He is, like, 60 years old?" – he remarked with a mocking laughter.

His ex-girlfriend gave him a killer glance, then she took a step closer to make him look at her.

"I don't appreciate how you underestimate me." – she said with disdain, then she let out a disappointed sigh. – "But I guess it's hard to change the way people look at you."

"Yeah, I get that. And I'm sorry." – Liam apologized.

Gemma remained quiet as she walked out of the bathroom to pack her own bag.

"What really happened to you and… Amelia?" – she finally asked while she gathered her clothes from the living room floor.

Liam shrugged and took a deep breath.

"I still don't know. I think we were different people who wanted different things."

His ex-girlfriend shook her head disapprovingly.

"Something never changes…" – she mumbled with a smile, then her voice became more vivid: – "These girls next door and their princes… They only exist in fairy tales. And we are too old for fairy tales, baby. Take your mother and Alistair as an example. The Queen and the Commoner. It didn't work out for them, it will never work out for you and Amelia... or Ophelia, the name just doesn't matter. They will never give you what you are looking for. They will never really get you."

"The way _you_ do, right?" – Liam angrily interrupted her.

Gemma folded her arms and eyed him up and down with a disappointed look.

"Here you are, underestimating me again. Careful, Liam, one day, I'll get bored of it."

With these last words, she picked up her bag and walked toward the door, indicating to Liam to follow her.

* * *

 _New York_

"Would you like some tea?" – Helena asked Simon after a long and awkward silence.

"I have already put the kettle on." – her fiancé replied softly, then he cleared his throat: – "Listen, I just wanted to talk to you before we leave."

The former queen couldn't hold back a frustrated sigh.

"Not now. I need to get dressed and get Lacey ready for the trip." – she said reproachfully.

"You are already dressed." – the little girl pointed out.

Helena looked down on the peach dress she wore, and hesitantly touched her jewellery.

"No, I just forgot to change into my nightgown yesterday." – she mumbled.

Lacey eyed her up and down with a curious expression.

"How could you forget?" – she finally asked.

The former queen forced a laugh.

"You were not there to remind me." – she replied with overacted ease.

Lacey shook her head disapprovingly.

"Oh, Nana, you are lost without me."

"I am." – Helena agreed, then she clasped her hands. – "Now, go get dressed."

The little girl was about to do so, then she suddenly turned back:

"Dress code?"

"Smart casual." – her grandmother said self-evidently.

Lacey nodded in agreement.

"Got it." – she answered firmly, then disappeared behind the door.

Simon chuckled as he witnessed the little game and smiled at his fiancée.

"She couldn't deny that she is being raised by a fashion designer."

"She's a little fashionista, isn't she?" – Helena remarked proudly, then she quickly recovered. – "It's time to get ready or we are going to be late for the airport."

The former king suddenly remembered what he meant to talk about.

"What are we going to say to the kids?" – he asked nervously.

His fiancée gave him a puzzled look.

"About us? Nothing. They don't need to know everything." – she said in a firm voice.

"They will figure it out." – Simon remarked with a sigh. – "I just don't want it to poison our Christmas."

Helena snorted in disdain.

"Oh, so it's me who is poisoning it."

"I didn't say that." – the former king protested, raising his voice.

His fiancée raised her eyebrows. She crossed her arms and she leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Look, Simon, I have bigger problems. If you want to tell them that you cheated on me, go ahead, humiliate me. Otherwise, I'm sure you still remember how to pretend."

The former king didn't have a chance to reply because his granddaughter burst into the kitchen.

She was wearing tight jeans with a grey top and a rose vest. Her long black curls were in a loose bun. She put on a lace headband too, as an obvious allusion to her name.,

"I'm ready." – she cried out and spun around on her heel.

"Let's grab your things then." – her grandfather smiled at her and escorted her to her room.

Once Helena was alone, she called her assistant.

"Hi, Rachel, it's me. You need to gather all the dirt you can find on Prudence."

She could hear the surprise in her assistant's voice on the other end of the line.

"Uhm… you mean, your sister-in-law, Prudence?" – Rachel asked uncertainly.

Helena let out a frustrated sigh.

"How many other Prudences do we know? God, Rachel, what is wrong with you?" – she asked angrily.

"Nothing. It's just… it was a long time since we did that kind of thing." – her assistant mumbled, then she added in a firm voice. – "But I see what I can do."


	15. Holly Jolly Christmas

**Holly Jolly Christmas**

* * *

 _Sandringham_

Simon, Helena and their granddaughter got out of the taxi in front of their old country mansion and were about to go in when Lacey stopped them:

"Nana, I don't want to go in there. I want to go home." – the little girl cried, clinging to her grandmother's leg.

Helena gently pried her small hands off her and crouched down:

"We talked about this, darling. It's going to be all right. It won't be just your mother. You'll see your uncle and your other grandfather…" – she said in a soothing tone. – "We can go horse riding and ice skating on the river, it's going to be a great Christmas."

Lacey, however, didn't seem very convinced.

"I don't want to see my mom." – she mumbled nervously.

Simon could see the fear in her eyes and he too crouched beside her.

"Lacey, you know how much she loves you and how hard she worked to get better. She deserves another chance from you." – he explained, but his granddaughter's scream interrupted him.

"Why are you doing this?" – Lacey shouted at him and she burst out crying.

Helena put her arms around her and covered her with kisses.

"Sssh, it's all right, darling." – she whispered. – "I know you are scared. There is nothing wrong with it. I was scared of my own mother too. I don't ask you to trust your mother, I ask you to trust me. I promise you I would never let her hurt you again."

This last argument seemed to have a positive effect on Lacey because she wiped her tears and stopped crying.

Helena looked her in the eye and asked:

"Do you believe me?"

The little girl smiled at her and nodded:

"Yes."

* * *

Liam opened the door for his parents and niece and helped them with their suitcases.

"Hi Dad! How was your trip?" – he greeted his father.

"Long, but uneventful. How are you, son?" – Simon replied as he hugged him.

Before he could have reacted, his mother's worried cry prevented him from answering.

"Darling, you look so thin. What do they feed you in Australia?" – Helena asked in shock as she kissed her son.

Then, she suddenly noticed Liam's former girlfriend, standing behind him.

"And Gemma, what a surprise!" – she cried out happily.

"I would never miss a good party, you know me." – Gemma said while she kissed her on the cheek three times.

The former queen let out a soft chuckle.

"It's not much of a party, I'm afraid, just a family reunion. But if it is a great party you are looking for, come to my London fashion show next month." – she remarked with a smile.

Gemma returned the smile and said:

"I'll do that."

Liam took a step forward and bent down to greet Lacey.

"Where is my favourite niece?" – he asked teasingly.

"I'm your only niece." – Lacey replied with mock anger.

Gemma quietly cleared her throat that made her ex-boyfriend turn around.

"Right. Gemma, this is Lacey. Eleanor's daughter." – she introduced them to each other.

"Nice to meet you." – the blond woman said with an outstretched hand as she eyed the little girl up and down. – "I like what I see. Very stylish."

"Thank you. You are pretty too. Although I would forget that belt." – Lacey replied with ease.

Everybody burst out laughing, except Gemma.

"Wow, harsh truth. That's my Lacey. What about me?" – Liam asked curiously.

Lacey looked at her uncle and let out a resigned sigh.

"You are hopeless, Uncle Liam."

Liam laughed and gave his niece a high five. However, Lacey's smile suddenly disappeared when she noticed her mother, who was coming down the stairs.

"You are here. I was so excited. I'm so happy to see you, sweetheart." – Eleanor cried out in excitement and tried to hug her daughter.

Lacey instinctively pulled away and hid behind her grandmother, tightly clutching her leg.

"It's all right. Just give her some ti…" – Helena explained to her daughter when she suddenly felt a warm liquid running down to her ankles, pooling up on the floor.

"Lacey!" – she snapped at her granddaughter, then she quickly changed her tone. – "Uhm… darling, why don't we go to the bathroom to freshen up?"

Lacey quietly nodded and followed her grandmother to the bathroom.

Liam stared at the pee puddle and shook his head in disbelief.

"If I did this when I was a kid, Mom would have killed me." – he remarked absently.

"No kidding. She totally destroyed her shoes." – Gemma added with a disgusted expression on her face.

Eleanor helplessly sat on the stairs and buried her head in her hands. When she looked up, her eyes were filled with tears.

"I can't believe I screwed up again. She is terrified of me." – she cried out in a choked voice.

His father gave her a pitying glance and sat beside her. He put an arm around her and said:

"She is not terrified, she is just…"

"Please, Dad. She pissed herself when she saw me." – Eleanor interrupted him. – "I want to make it… this right. I will get her back. Will you help me?"

Her father gave her a puzzled look.

"Why… why don't we go to the living room?" – he stammered. – "I'm sure your mother and Lacey will join us soon."

* * *

Later in the afternoon Alistair has arrived too. He was followed by Cyrus, Prudence and their son, Robert, who were delayed by an unpleasant scandal.

"Come on in guys!" – Eleanor greeted them in the door. – "So did you fly here from New York? Why didn't you come with Mum, Dad and Lacey?"

Cyrus looked at his wife with contempt, then turned back to his niece.

"We had to deal with some issues. Apparently, someone here had her old naked photos leaked right before the election. My election." – he hissed angrily.

Prudence rolled her eyes.

"I told you it wasn't my fault." – she remarked furiously. – "It was a personal vendetta."

"Well, if you were more careful when you screw around, these kinds of personal vendettas wouldn't happen." – her husband whispered into her ears with disgust.

Finally, the whole family sat around the table for a Christmas dinner and it was time to make a toast.

"To Eleanor, for organizing this whole Christmas. I think we all needed it." – Liam remarked with a smile and gave his sister a knowing wink.

Simon nodded at his son's words, then he got up to speak.

"Family is the most important thing in the world and I..." – he began, but at this point he was interrupted by his fiancée's cough.

He looked at her in confusion, but Helena just shrugged.

"I agree. Please, continue." – she said with a fake smile.

"I raise my glass to you, all of you here." – Simon continued. – "Nothing could make me happier than to be with you. A holiday like this is the perfect occasion to bring us closer together as a family. Cheers!"

Everyone raised their glass and took a sip from their drink.

"You certainly did your part to bring this family closer." – Helena remarked sarcastically after her fiancé sat back next to her.

Before Simon could have answered, she quickly turned her attention to her daughter:

"So Eleanor, how is your tour guiding job?" – she asked in mock ease.

"It's great, thanks. Though, sometimes I would love to do other kinds of tours, not just the royal one. You know, the _Ghost Tour_ or the _Art Tour,_ for example." – the former princess explained in high spirits.

Her mother's smile disappeared for a moment. She lowered her eyes and pretended to focus on her plate. When she looked up, she was smiling again.

"Oh. They sound very exciting." – she remarked with a fake smile, but she didn't seem convincing at all.

Eleanor rolled her eyes and put down her knife and fork.

"Unbelievable. You can never be proud of me." – she said reproachfully.

The former queen gave her a guilty look and let out a sigh.

"I _am_ proud." – she insisted, then she couldn't go on with the lie. – "It's just hard to believe that it is all you want."

The whole table got quiet for a moment. Eleanor and Helena were staring at each other while taking another sip from their drink. Finally, Alistair broke the silence with an embarrassed laughter.

"Come on, Hellie, we didn't need much either when we were young." – he said softly to his ex-wife.

"And look where it landed us." – Helena replied dryly and downed her drink.

Simon frowned and gave her a confused look.

"What is this supposed to mean?" – he asked.

"Nothing." – his fiancée replied with ease, then she turned back to her daughter. – "If that is all you want, Eleanor, I'm happy for you."

The former princess let out a scornful snort.

"All I want? Do you think it's all I want?" – she snapped at her mother. – "You took away Lacey and didn't let me see her. This stupid job is far from all I want, I want my daughter and I will get her back, I can promise you that."

Helena couldn't hold back a small chuckle.

"Another promise. Will you keep it this time?" – she asked in a mocking tone.

The tension in the room was palpable. Finally, Simon broke the silence.

"Let's not discuss this now." – he remarked softly and turned to his son. – "How are you, Liam?"

He caught his son off-guard, he wasn't really prepared to step in.

"Uhm… I'm good." – he mumbled.

"I really hoped that you and Amelia could work things out. No offence, Gemma." – Alistair remarked with a sad sigh.

The blond woman straightened in her seat and gave him a fake smile.

"None taken. I really didn't expect you to have manners."

Alistair was about to snap at her, but a quiet comment of his ex-wife stopped him.

"Robert would be married by now." – the former queen remarked matter-of-factly.

She was not aware of how much this innocent statement would stir the emotions around the table.

"Of course, it's about Robert. Every fucking time." – Liam mumbled as he dropped his napkin on the table.

His mother loudly gasped in shock.

"Language," – she shouted at him, then she took a deep breath. – "All I say is commitment is not your strong suit. Neither is your sister's."

Prudence, who was watching the whole scene in silence, suddenly burst out in a scornful laughter.

"Maybe they took after their parents." – she said without thinking.

"Watch your mouth, woman." – Cyrus hissed angrily.

Eleanor saw that this Christmas was about to become a very ugly one so she decided to change to a more pleasant subject.

"Speaking of commitment…" – she began with overacted happiness and turned to her biological father. – "Alistair. Is it true that you and Julia are engaged?"

"Yeah, we are." – Alistair replied, looking at his ex-wife, instead of his daughter.

Helena felt Simon's eyes on her. She slowly raised her refilled glass and gave Alistair a wide smile.

"Congratulations!" – she cried out in ease. – "Why didn't you bring her? I would love to meet her."

Prudence, who sat opposite her, snorted in disdain.

"I bet." – she mumbled.

The former queen shot a killer glance at her as she lowered her glass.

Alistair looked from one to the other as he replied:

"She got sick, she couldn't come."

"But she let _you_ come. To your ex-lover's house." – Prudence pointed out in mock innocence. – "Not every woman would be so generous, am I right, Helena?"

Helena slightly trembled at the mention of her name, but she didn't let her sister-in-law see her fear.

"Some would try to humiliate her rival instead." – Prudence continued to provoke her.

All eyes at the table were on the two women who engaged in a staring contest.

"I don't know what is going on, but you should stop talking." – Eleanor said sharply after a creepy long silence.

Prudence, however, deliberately ignored her words as she turned to Alistair who sat beside her:

"Julia must be very confident that you love her. Or even better: that you desire her." – she said to him, then she turned back to her sister-in-law. – "Because once you are not desirable anymore, you'd better be sure that your love is enough."

"That's it." – Helena cried out angrily. – "Cyrus, if you ever want to be the Prime Minister of this country, you will put a leash on your wife right now."

Cyrus shrugged in boredom.

"Prudence." – he said to his wife, uninterested.

Prudence turned to him with a defiant smile as she replied:

"Yes?"

"Get out." – came the prompt answer.

Cyrus looked over to his sister-in-law, who threw him a kiss as a sign of her satisfaction. Prudence was furious. She got up from the table and she was about to leave when Simon stopped her.

"Why don't we all calm down? Prudence, sit back. There is no need for that." – he spoke softly as he looked around the table.

"Are you joking right now?" – Helena snapped at her fiancé. – "Fine. I'll leave then."


	16. Smart Decisions

**Smart Decisions**

* * *

 _Sandringham_

* * *

Helena burst out of the room. Alistair and Simon stood up in the same time to follow her, but Gemma stopped them.

"Let me."

She found the former queen in the kitchen with her head buried in her hands.

"And I thought I would be the biggest bitch tonight. Are you all right?" – Gemma asked unusually nicely.

Helena quickly composed herself and shrugged.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" – she replied with mock ease.

The diamond heiress gave her a doubtful look. Since Helena didn't say anything, Gemma was about to leave. Then the former queen suddenly spoke:

"Every time I let myself believe that things are finally all right, something _shitty_ happens. Simon thought things would be easier once we were not royals anymore. How ironic!"

"Royals or not, life is just life. Constant work and vigilance. You just learn that the hard way. Just as Liam and Amelia." – Gemma remarked matter-of-factly.

Helena let out a scornful chuckle.

"Liam and Amelia? Please, they had no future. They fought all the time." – she explained bitterly. – "If it would have been only their problem. But it made my already strained relationship with Alistair impossible. Now he hates me even more."

"It didn't see it. As a matter of fact, it seemed quite the opposite for me." – Gemma said with a knowing smile.

The former queen lowered her head. When she looked up, her expression was unreadable.

"It doesn't matter now, does it? You know, Gemma, I always thought that you and I were alike. I never felt it with the twins. They are much like Simon. They are impulsive, reckless, always follow their heart and always get hurt. But you and I are different. We know when to be smart. So I will be smart and pretend that tonight or last night has never happened. All's well that ends well. It goes for you too."

Gemma gave her a surprised look.

"What do you mean?"

The former queen couldn't hold back a smile.

"I hope my son will realize again what he can gain with you by his side. And I'm ready to help him with this realization, right till the altar."

* * *

After Helena stormed off, followed by Gemma, the dinner was officially over. The rest of the family went to the living room. Liam played with Lacey while Eleanor sat beside her father on the sofa.

"Dad, we need to deal with the whole Lacey situation." – she began in a firm voice. – "I want to get her back."

Simon was caught off guard and suddenly he didn't know what to say.

"Well, I… I'm happy that you are thinking about this. It's very mature and responsible of you. I'm proud. Did you tell your mother yet?" – he asked, squirming uncomfortably in his seat.

Eleanor rolled her eyes and laughed at him.

"Please, Dad. After what happened last year, she wouldn't even hear me out. She took away my visitation rights, remember? What would she say if I told her that I wanted full custody?" – she asked the theoretical question.

Simon could see that he upset his daughter, but he hated to be dragged into the middle of this fight between Eleanor and Helena. He had no choice but trying to remain neutral:

"Still, we can't talk about this without her. She is Lacey's legal guardian."

"Right, because you are still not married." – Eleanor remarked in a sarcastic voice. – "And why is that again?"

"It's complicated." – Simon mumbled.

His daughter shook her head disapprovingly.

"It always is with Mom. What did she do this time?" – she asked, almost bored.

The former king looked at her and replied a bit too quickly:

"Nothing."

"Dad, you are a bad liar." – Eleanor remarked with a chuckle.

Her father couldn't stand her gaze and lowered his head.

"Oh my God, she cheated on you again. I can't believe it." – the former princess cried out indignantly. – "She can't get away with hurting people. And I won't let her get away with turning my daughter against me."

"No, you got it all wrong." – her father protested with a guilty expression. – "She didn't cheat on me and she didn't poison Lacey against you. She would never do this to you. Or her. In fact, she is doing a wonderful job with Lacey."

Eleanor snorted in disdain.

"Come on, Dad. She is my mother, she raised me too. I know her."

Simon took her daughter's hands in his and made her look at him while he said:

"She has changed. This might be hard to hear, but… she is a much better parent to Lacey than she ever was to you. They have a special bond. I would be careful before I tried to separate them violently."

Eleanor gasped in shock. She let go of his father's hands and got up from the sofa.

"I can't give up on her, Dad." – she shouted with tears in her eyes. – "And I won't. I'm ready to go to court if it's necessary."

"And your mother will be willing to do the same." – Simon pointed out with a sad sigh.

"So you are on her side." – Eleanor remarked with a disappointed look and folded her arms.

The former king got up too and looked his daughter in the eye:

"No, I'm not." – he said in a firm voice.

Eleanor gave him a slow nod.

"Good. Because Lacey is _my_ daughter. I'm her mother."

"Are you, Eleanor?" – Simon asked back gently. – "All I'm saying is we should sit down together and come up with the best solution. For Lacey."

* * *

After he finished talking to his daughter, Simon decided to look for his fiancée. Finally, he found her on the balcony. She was looking at the bridge over the river which was known as Robert's favourite place. As soon as she noticed her fiancé, she was ready to leave.

"Helena! Wait. You can't keep avoiding me." – Simon pleaded to her.

"I'm not avoiding you. Now, if you'll excuse me…" – Helena replied angrily and tried to bypass her fiancé.

Simon stopped her.

"It's about Eleanor." – he said quickly. – "I just talked to her. She is pretty determined to get Lacey back."

"Out of the question. Not after her little stunt." – the former queen hissed.

Her fiancé gently caressed her arm.

"It was almost a year ago." – he remarked softly.

Helena gave him a killer glance.

"She tied her daughter to a tree and left her there alone for a whole day. And you think we should give her Lacey." – she cried out with reproach.

Simon looked at her as the light breeze rustled her hair while he replied:

"Not right away. But I think that we should talk about options."

Helena shook her head.

"No." – she said firmly and walked back to the room.

"Please, Helena. Imagine yourself in her place. How would it feel to lose your child?" – Simon asked, but he immediately regretted what he had said.

"I know exactly how it feels." – his fiancée snapped angrily.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that." – Simon mumbled.

Helena couldn't hold back a sigh.

"I know." – she remarked with a sad smile. – "We can talk tomorrow. But only about Eleanor. Now I have to put Lacey to bed."

* * *

As soon as she had left her father, Eleanor went to her room and called Jasper. She didn't have to wait long as he picked up for first ring.

"I was just thinking about you. So how did it go?" – he asked eagerly.

Eleanor lay down on her bed and held her phone in front of her face so that Jasper could see her.

"Aw. That's sweet of you." – she sighed. – "Not very well. My dad took my mom's side. I don't know what else I expected."

Jasper frowned.

"I'm sorry." – he mumbled.

"Yeah, me too." – the former princess agreed.

Both of them remained silent for a moment, then Jasper asked:

"How was the family dinner?"

Eleanor couldn't hold back a scornful laughter.

"Awful. It's like the past six years have never happened. Everybody hates everybody. My parents can't even look each other in the eye. I think Mom is cheating on Dad again. So why is he backing her instead of me? It doesn't make sense." – she blurted out, then she decided to change the subject. – "What about your Christmas?"

The former bodyguard rolled his eyes and raised his whisky glass to the camera.

"It's lonely. I have been waiting for three hours for this turkey thing to defrost…" – he remarked in a sarcastic voice.

"This is so pathetic, I almost feel sorry for you." – Eleanor replied with a genuine smile.

"Yeah." – his ex-boyfriend agreed, then he suddenly had an idea. – "You could cheer me up. Take off your clothes."

The former princess hesitated a bit, then she shook her head.

"No. I can't. I have to go. I want to be there when my mom puts Lacey to bed." – she explained guiltily.

"Okay. Sure." – Jasper answered quickly, although Eleanor could hear the disappointment in his voice.

She let out a sigh and against her better judgment she said:

"I will make it up to you when I'm back in London. I promise."

Jasper's bitter expression turned immediately into a grin.

"I really miss you, Len." – he mumbled.

"I miss you too." – the former princess echoed.

Eleanor was about to hang up when Jasper finally spoke again:

"I wrote you a letter. It might not be as good as your father's, the one you have read on your royal tour… I'm not very good at this." – he remarked with a frown. – "Anyway, in the post office they said you would get it by tomorrow."

Now it was Eleanor's turn to cheer up. She smiled at her former bodyguard and said:

"I can't wait."

* * *

After that conversation, Eleanor hurried to Lacey's bedroom but something stopped her before she could have entered. The door was slit open and the former princess could hear her mother and daughter talking.

"How did you feel today?" – Helena asked her granddaughter, sitting on her bed.

"Good." – Lacey's answered shortly.

Helena gave her a smile.

"I told you it would be all right." – she said with a relieved sigh. – "What about your mom? She was nice, wasn't she?"

Her granddaughter's face immediately lit up as she started to tell her adventures:

"Yeah. We played hide and seek with her and Robbie and Uncle Liam and Gemma. Uncle Liam and I hid behind a secret door, then we kept moving… and they couldn't find us. We heard that they were looking for us, but they couldn't find us. It was so funny."

Helena stroked her hair and gave her a kiss on her nose. She hesitated for a while, then she cleared her throat and said:

"You know your mother would be happy to see you more often. What do you think of that?"

Lacey shrugged.

"We can visit her when we come to England." – she replied reluctantly. – "When are we going home?"

"Not so soon. We'll go to London first. For my fashion show." – Helena remarked matter-of-factly.

She came to regret what she had said very soon because Lacey got really excited at the mention of the fashion show.

"Can I see the dresses?" – she cried out with eyes wide open.

Her grandmother let out a soft chuckle.

"Of course. You will be the first person to see them. I'm counting on your opinion." – she said in a serious voice.

Lacey sat up on the bed. She sounded equally serious when she replied:

"I hope they are pretty, but I won't lie."

"I wouldn't ask you to." – Helena said with ease, then she changed her tone. – "Now, time to sleep. Good night, darling. I'm glad you were having a good time today."

She got up and was about to leave when Lacey's voice stopped her:

"But you didn't."

"Why would you say that?" – the former queen asked in surprise.

Her granddaughter frowned and lowered her eyes.

"I saw you. You were sad." – she mumbled.

Helena gulped and forced a smile.

"Yes, maybe a little. How did you know?" – she asked curiously.

"Because our hearts feel each other." – Lacey replied without thinking.

Her grandmother nodded and this time her smile was genuine.

"Yes, they do that." – she agreed.

She sat back on the bed and pressed a kiss on Lacey's forehead.

"I love you, darling." – she whispered.

Lacey put her arms around her neck and kissed her cheek.

"I love you too, Nana. To the stars and back." – she cried out happily.

Eleanor, who was watching the whole scene, let out a painful sigh behind the door. She felt some tears escape her eyes so she decided to walk back to her room before anyone could notice her.


	17. Ghost of Christmas Past

**Ghost of Christmas Past**

* * *

 _ **A.N.: Thank you for the great reviews! I hope you'll be happy with this chapter. :)**_

* * *

 _Sandringham_

* * *

Helena was tossing and turning in the old state bed in the former royal bedroom. Simon was sleeping peacefully beside her. Whatever happened, he was always a good sleeper.

The former queen looked at him and let out a sigh. She got out of bed and decided to check on her granddaughter. She couldn't hold back a smile when she saw Lacey sleeping like an angel with her favourite stuffed animal.

She didn't want to go back to her room so she went down to the kitchen for a glass of water.

"Can't sleep?" – a man's voice said from the darkness.

Helena dropped her glass and cried out angrily:

"Shit, Alistair. You scared me. What are you doing, sitting here like a ghost?"

"The Ghost of Christmas Past." – Alistair replied laughingly while he helped his ex-wife collecting the pieces of glass.

The former queen smiled back at him.

"I wonder if you came to haunt me because I was a bad person." – she said with a knowing wink.

"No. Quite the opposite. I'm here to remind you of our Christmases together." – Alistair continued to joke.

Helena's smile suddenly disappeared and she hissed in pain. A shard of glass stuck in her palm and it began to bleed.

"Show it." – her ex-husband demanded.

Helena obeyed and gave him her hand. He lifted it up toward the light and said:

"It's not too deep. I will pull it out."

The former queen nodded. She left her hand in his, waiting for him to do as he had said.

"Come on, Alistair. Make me scream." – she remarked teasingly after a short pause.

Alistair suddenly realized that he was still holding his ex-wife's hand. He quickly pulled out the shard and pressed his lips on the wound to prevent it from bleeding.

"Thank you." – Helena whispered with a smile and wiped off the blood from his mouth with her thumb.

"I miss you, Hellie." – Alistair mumbled.

The pale dawn light illuminated the former queen's face whose expression was of shock and fear.

"Don't say that." – she pleaded to her ex-husband.

"Why not? I can see that you are unhappy." – Alistair said with ease.

Helena let out a sigh.

"It's just temporary. But forget about me. Think about your fiancée."

Her ex-husband burst out laughing, Helena had to ask him to stop before someone woke up.

"Who, Julia? She's just a friend. Eleanor couldn't stop nagging me about finding someone, so I asked Julia to play my girlfriend." – Alistair explained still laughing.

The former queen shook her head disapprovingly.

"So you lied to our daughter."

Alistair grabbed her hands and made her look at him:

"Would you rather me tell her the truth? That I still love you? And the biggest mistake of my life was letting you go… again and again?"

"I don't even deserve you." – Helena mumbled.

Her ex-husband caressed her face, then her lips and whispered:

"I love you."

Helena quickly backed away.

"Stop it." – she asked him in a trembling voice. – "Please, Alistair, don't try to seduce me because I won't be able to resist."

"I don't mind. For once, you don't have to be in control." – Alistair said softly.

His ex-wife shook her head and looked him in the eye:

"I want to do it the right way this time. I want to work things out with Simon. After everything that happened to our family, after everything we have been through, this is the right choice."

Alistair couldn't hold back a bitter smile.

"Okay. I'll wait." – he said with a resigned sigh.

"No. I can't ask you to put your life on hold for me once again." – Helena protested.

"You don't have to ask." – her ex-husband replied passionately.

The former queen gave him a pitiful look.

"Alistair."

They both remained quiet, then Alistair broke the silence:

"Do I have hope?"

"What kind of woman would I be if I said yes to this?" – Helena hissed angrily, but she didn't answer.

"Only if you lied." – her ex-husband remarked with a serious expression. – "Come on, Hel, it's simple. Hope: yes or no? Just say it."

Helena let out a sigh because she knew what she was about to say was wrong:

"Yes."

* * *

The next morning Eleanor and Liam were standing at the family gym's door, watching their mother and Lacey who were doing their usual morning workout.

"Look at them. They are doing yoga together. When did mom do something like this with us?" – Liam remarked jealously.

Eleanor nodded in agreement.

"She took us horseback riding." – she replied after a while.

Her twin brother snorted in disdain.

"Yeah. Like twice a year. Not twice a week."

"Anyway, I'm glad that she is a good mom to Lacey." – Eleanor said with conviction.

Liam gave her a puzzled look.

"Really?" – he asked sarcastically. – "That's not what you said yesterday."

His sister shrugged.

"I changed my mind." – she replied with mock ease and walked in the room.

Helena and Lacey have just finished. The former queen gave her granddaughter a bottle of water and wiped off the sweat from her back.

"Mom! Can we talk now?" – Eleanor asked a bit impatiently.

Her mother turned to her and smiled.

"Of course. I meant to speak to you anyway."

She grabbed her sweater and walked Eleanor toward the door.

"Let's find your father."

* * *

After all three of them were together, they sat down on the sofa in the former queen's study.

"Which one of you would like to start?" – Simon asked after a long and uncomfortable silence.

His fiancée nodded toward their daughter.

"Eleanor, you go first."

The former princess let out a sigh.

"It's not easy for me to say this, but I trust you, Mom. And I'm ready to do this on your terms." – she began hesitantly. – "I realized that you are the best person to raise Lacey. At least for now. So I won't fight for her. But you have to know how much I miss her every day. I will do whatever you want: monthly drug tests, therapy, supervised visits… anything. Just please let me see her."

Her voice began trembling and her eyes were filled up with tears. She couldn't continue.

"Of course I will let you see her." – Helena said with a keen expression and hugged her daughter. – "I'm sorry that I was so harsh on you, but you were the one who asked me to protect her. That's what I did."

Eleanor sniffled and nodded.

"You did it well. I learnt my lesson. But I'm clean now and I will do everything to earn back her trust. And yours too." – she said in a firm voice.

Now it was her father's turn to hug her.

"I'm so proud of you, Len." – Simon mumbled.

"Me too." – Helena agreed, then she suddenly got up from the sofa. – "And… I wanted to show you something."

She walked over to her desk and pulled out a folder from the drawer. She opened it and put a picture of a house in front of her daughter and fiancé.

"What is this?" – Eleanor asked in surprise.

"An apartment in Notting Hill." – Helena replied with ease.

The former princess looked at her father who was just as clueless as her.

"I can see that." – Eleanor remarked in an uncertain voice. – "Why are you showing me this?"

Her mother let out a soft chuckle.

"Because I intend to buy it. I want to move back to London with Lacey."

Eleanor gasped in shock.

"Wow, Mom, that's fantastic! Thank you!" – she cried out happily and kissed her mother. Then she suddenly became concerned. – "But what will Lacey say?"

The former queen gave her a reassuring smile.

"I have already talked it over with her. She agreed."

Her daughter almost jumped out of her skin. She wanted to rush out of the room and share the good news with everyone. Especially one person in particular.

"I have to tell Ja…" – she said, then she quickly changed the ending of her sentence. – "… Liam. Maybe we could convince him to move back too."

"Well, if you can achieve that, I will buy not just the apartment but the whole street." – Helena remarked laughingly.

"Who knows?" – Eleanor smiled back at her and quickly left to find her brother.

* * *

"So where does this leave us?" – Simon asked the question that was hanging in the air.

Helena, who was still staring after her daughter with an absent smile, turned back to him:

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I love you, Helena. I don't want you to leave me." – her fiancé cried out passionately. – "I know that what I did was unforgivable. I should have never cheated on you and I shouldn't have let Prudence come here."

The former queen let out a scornful chuckle.

"Yes. And you should have stood up for me when she insulted me, but you couldn't even do that." – she remarked bitterly.

"It was a family dinner… a Christmas dinner. All I wanted was a peaceful evening." – Simon tried to apologize.

"Well, you made damn sure that it wouldn't be possible." – Helena replied coldly.

The former king stepped closer to her and grabbed her hands.

"You are right. I'm sorry. But I swear that that night with Prudence meant nothing to me." – he began, but his fiancée interrupted him.

"Oh, it did mean something. It always does. But I don't care. You desired a younger woman, you slept with her. It happens. It's not what is bothering me." – Helena said in a chillingly calm voice.

Simon let go of her hands and gave her a blank look.

"What is then?" – he asked in confusion.

Helena eyed him up and down with a disappointed expression.

"The thing that you said earlier that day. About Robert. I just learned that my son died thinking that his whole life, all the sacrifices he made was for nothing. That he would never be the one thing he was always meant to be: King of England." – she explained objectively.

"It was the right thing to do." – Simon remarked in a firm voice.

He was prepared for a nasty come back or an angry outburst, but he only got a sad smile from his former queen.

"Maybe. But you knew how much it hurt me. And instead of talking to me, you decided to sleep with Prudence." – Helena continued in the same cold tone.

Her fiancé looked at her with a guilty expression.

"You are right. I'm so sorry." – he mumbled.

The former queen gave him an unreadable look and said:

"I know. I'm willing to give our relationship another shot. We owe each other this much." – she remarked matter-of-factly. – "I love you too, Simon. We have always had a difficult relationship, but we have always found our way back to each other. That is what makes us special. Our ability to turn our bad luck into gold."

Simon let out a relieved sigh and he even allowed himself a small chuckle.

"Yes. We are good at that, aren't we?" – he replied with an embarrassed smile.

His fiancée didn't smile back.

"Do you remember the beginning of our marriage?" – she asked instead. – "Before Robert was born, we have barely talked to each other. I don't want to go back to that. I don't want to go back to the night when he was conceived."

Simon frowned and shook his head.

"Me neither. And we won't. I will pay more attention to you." – he promised in a serious voice.

Helena nodded and looked her fiancé in the eye:

"Good. Because I won't play any more games. Prudence was right. I'm too old for that. How does this sound to you?" – she asked in mock ease.

"It sounds great." – Simon answered in an uncertain voice.

The former queen stepped closer to him and pressed a kiss on his lips.

"Then I would like you to move back to London with me." – she said with a half smile.

She knew that her decision would make her fiancé happy, but she couldn't anticipate the reaction he gave her.

"Thank you. You are very generous. I'm so grateful to you." – Simon cried out joyfully.

He hastily pushed his fiancée to the wall and kissed her all over.

Helena let him undress her, before she roughly pushed him away. She walked over to the door and made sure it was locked, then she lay down on the sofa. She gave her fiancé a flirtatious look and said:

"Let's see how grateful you are."

* * *

Eleanor was about to call Jasper to share the good news with him, then she remembered his letter. Just as she hoped it was already in the mailbox.

" _Dear Eleanor,_

 _I don't even know how to begin. Writing letters aren't really my thing._

 _I googled a bunch of love sonnets and took an online writing course, but I didn't get any closer to express how much you mean to me. Anyway, this is me writing to you to say that I love you. And despite our fucked up beginning, I truly believe that we belong together._

 _We can blame our parents or our circumstances for not knowing how to love right, but I'm just done with that. It's time to grow up and get it right. All the mistakes that anyone ever made in love, I want to get right with you. But most importantly, I want to get_ us _right. Because you are the most special girl I have ever met. You are fierce and loud, beautiful and incredibly strong. You are unique in every way._

 _I'm so lucky that you have given me so many chances already, but I have no shame in asking another one. All I can give you in return is a better, stronger version of me. Please, accept it._

 _So this is it. I guess it's the lamest love letter in history. I don't even have a decent excuse, except for the one that I love you. I can't wait for you to finally hold this in your hands so that I could hold you in mine._

 _Love,_

 _Jasper_


	18. Coup

**Coup**

* * *

 _London, Eleanor's apartment_

"What is it?" – Jasper asked in surprise after his attempt to remove his girlfriend's top met with resistance.

"Nothing." – Eleanor mumbled and pulled away.

Jasper gave her a puzzled look.

"It's been three weeks since Christmas. What's wrong, babe?"

The former princess shrugged.

"Nothing is wrong. I just want to slow down a bit. I told you." – she remarked angrily.

She picked up her phone and skimmed through her messages.

"Okay." – Jasper said painfully, then he frowned. – "Who are you texting?"

Eleanor looked up and smiled at him.

"Just Brad." – she said with ease.

Jasper leaned back on the sofa and raised his eyebrows.

"Does he really have to know every detail of our life?" – he snapped.

His girlfriend rolled her eyes.

"He is my sponsor, so yeah. And he is coming over." – she answered matter-of-factly.

"He is coming… why?" – Jasper asked in shock.

Eleanor couldn't hold back a genuine laugh.

"It's time for you to meet. You will like him, I promise." – she remarked with a smile and kissed Jasper.

He wanted to say something, but the bell stopped him. Brad was already at the door.

"That was quick." – Eleanor remarked happily while she kissed her sponsor on the cheek. – "Come on in. This is Jasper. Jasper, this is Brad."

"Nice to meet you." – Brad said with a charming smile.

Jasper forced a smile in return.

"Likewise." – he mumbled and shook Brad's hand.

Eleanor looked at them with an absent smile, then she cleared her throat.

"I'll bring something to drink. Water or juice?"

"Water is fine." – Brad answered politely.

He waited until Eleanor left the room, then he turned to the former bodyguard:

"So Jasper. I heard you are an addict yourself. Don't get me wrong. It's a good thing. You can understand Eleanor more easily."

"I understand her more than anyone." – Jasper hissed between his teeth.

Brad seemed to ignore his reaction and he continued in the same light tone:

"Gambling, was it? Your addiction."

Eleanor returned just in time for the last words and she answered instead of her boyfriend.

"Oh yeah. And sex. Lots of sex." – she remarked laughingly.

"I remember. He was the one who blackmailed you to have sex. Then he had sex with your mom. Then his ex-girlfriend had sex with you and then _she_ blackmailed you." – Brad recalled the details and raised his glass to Jasper.

"Enough. I think we all remember." – the former bodyguard mumbled angrily.

Brad let out a small chuckle and put his hand on Jasper's shoulder.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, Jasper. We all make mistakes. But we are all capable of changing. The key is to accept that we have a problem."

* * *

 _London, Four Seasons_

Liam and Gemma were in their hotel room, preparing for the _QH_ (Queen Helena) fashion show, which was to open London Fashion Week.

"Have you thought about the job?" – Gemma asked her boyfriend while she poured a glass of champagne for each of them.

"For God's sake, Gemma. Why don't you just say it? You want to stay in London." – Liam snapped at her angrily as he took his drink.

Gemma took a sip of her champagne and rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I want to stay. The thought of living in Melbourne is making me sick. Everything I care about is here." – she remarked honestly.

Liam eyed her up and down with a surprised look.

"All right. Stay." – he said, then he added: – "But I go back."

His girlfriend put down her glass and folded her arms.

"You know what? Being stubborn is cute for a while. Then it's simply annoying." – she hissed angrily. – "This job is perfect, you know that. The only reason you don't want it, it's because your mother and Cyrus helped you get it."

The former prince let out a sigh and looked at her helplessly.

"If I stay, they will never stop meddling in my life." – he explained in a bitter voice.

Gemma gave him a smile and caressed his cheek.

"Let them. We will outmanoeuvre them." – she remarked firmly. – "If you don't like your mother's offer, I will help you get another job."

Liam frowned. He quickly downed the rest of his champagne and said:

"It's not that I don't like it, but I'm not Eleanor. I don't want to run to her whenever I need help. I want her to respect me. That is why I will take a job in Australia."

Gemma shook her head disapprovingly and made her boyfriend look at her.

"I won't let you run away." – she remarked in a serious voice. – "Do you want your mother's respect? Earn it. Don't let her own this city. Beat her here in London."

The former prince gave her a suspicious look.

"She is your friend. Why should I trust you?" – he asked.

"I may be selfish and insensitive, but I have never had a hidden agenda. I want a successful boyfriend who will make a successful husband in time." – Gemma cried out indignantly.

Liam couldn't hold back a smile. Finally, he gave up and kissed his girlfriend.

"Fine. Let's have it your way."

* * *

 _London, Royal Theatre of London_

Helena's fashion show was a great success. The _Dynastic Dream_ collection was an expression of timeless and ageless beauty in a world full of riches. The show took place in an old theatre that made it possible for the public to see the dresses not just on stage, but everywhere around them. The models took their seats in the boxes, drinking champagne and chatting loudly like aristocrats from centuries ago. There were no screens, but every spectator had opera glasses to be able to see the dresses in detail. Although the colourful, yet elegant gowns were so spectacular that no one could have missed them.

Following the show there was a fabulous after party to celebrate. Helena was standing in the centre of the lounge, looking towards her guests with a satisfied smile.

"It was a wonderful show. Congratulations!" – her fiancé cried happily and gave her a huge bunch of roses.

"Thank you!" – Helena answered and she was about to kiss Simon when someone approached them. The older woman was a well-known fashion critic, almost impossible to impress.

"I must admit, after your last two collections I didn't believe you are worthy to be called a designer, Helena." – she began in a serious voice. – "But you managed to surprise me. Not many can do that."

The former queen managed to conceal her shock with a perfect poker face.

"Thank you, Charlotte! Enjoy the rest of the party!" – she said with a smile that disappeared right after the other woman had left: "… _you bloody witch_!"

Simon, who was right beside her, let out a soft chuckle.

"Careful. That bloody witch is about to write a damn good article about your show." – he remarked teasingly then something else caught his attention.

He noticed someone familiar in the crowd.

Is that Alistair? What is he doing here?" – he asked with a sudden anger in his voice.

Helena was taken aback by this reaction.

"I invited him." – she said with a frown.

Simon stepped away from her.

"Why? At Christmas, he said he was still in love with you. You should keep your distance from him." – he remarked in a sinister voice.

"He is the father of my children. And Lacey's grandfather." – his fiancée remarked with ease and shrugged her shoulder.

"All the more reason not to disturb the family peace." – Simon mumbled.

The former queen couldn't hold back a scornrful laughter.

"I told Alistair clearly that I'm not interested. I can't believe you are jealous."

After seeing that it didn't calm down Simon, she added:

"Would you feel better if I said I invited Prudence?" – she asked, still laughing.

Her fiancé gave her a puzzled look.

"Did you?" – he asked in surprise.

"Of course I didn't." – Helena hissed angrily. – "What were you thinking?"

She didn't wait for Simon to answer because she saw her son and his girlfriend walking toward them.

"Gemma, Liam, hi!" – she greeted them with a big smile.

"Congratulations, Mom!" – Liam said with a grin and kissed his mother on the cheek. – "And let me return you someone who was very eager to reunite with you."

Helena just noticed her granddaughter who had been hiding behind her uncle's back so far.

"Hey, darling. Did you enjoy the show?" – she asked and hugged the little girl.

"I loved it! So much! I'm very very very proud of you, Nana!" – Lacey cried out with excitement.

Her grandmother looked her in the eye and caressed her hair:

"Thank you, Lacey. It means a lot coming from you."

They all remained quiet for a moment, then Liam broke the silence.

"Well, I'm starving. We should grab something." – he said to his girlfriend, then he turned to his parents. – "Are you joining us?"

Helena shook her head.

"No, I'd rather stay. I need to talk to some people." – she explained.

"I'll bring you something." – her fiancé offered with a smile and kissed her cheek.

After the two men left, Gemma was about to follow them, but her godmother stopped her:

"How did your talk with Liam go?"

The diamond heiress shrugged.

"I convinced him to stay in London." – she remarked with ease.

Helena nodded in recognition.

"Well done. I'm impressed. How did you do it?" – she asked admiringly.

"Never underestimate a man's vanity." – Gemma remarked with a knowing wink, then she became more serious. – "Although if I were you, I would consider giving him more space. He wants to prove himself."

The former queen didn't answer, but she called for her assistant who stood not far from her.

"Rachel. Do you see Mr. Parker over there? Tell him to come here. I would like him to meet someone."

Rachel nodded and a few moments later she returned with the man in question. Helena smiled at him, then she turned to her goddaughter and said:

"Gemma, let me introduce you my friend, Jack Parker. He is a very successful businessman in New York and as it happens, he is looking for someone who could run his London office."

After seeing the surprised look on Gemma's face, she quickly added:

"You want me to leave Liam alone? Fine. But it doesn't mean that you should do the same." – she said in a serious tone.

The diamond heiress let out a small smile.

"I'll do my best." – she remarked with an unreadable expression, then she turned to the business man beside her. – "Mr. Parker. Why don't we take a walk?"

* * *

The former queen stared after her goddaughter and her friend as they were leaving when she heard a familiar voice from behind.

"Have you seen Eleanor?" – the voice asked urgently.

Helena turned around to face her former bodyguard.

"Hello to you too, Jasper." – she greeted him, then she pointed to the corner of the room. – "She is right there with Brad. Brad is her…"

"Her sponsor, I know. He is an idiot." – Jasper blurted out angrily.

He wanted to continue, but he suddenly felt that someone started pulling on his trousers. He looked down and noticed his girlfriend's daughter beside him.

"Who are you?" – the little girl demanded.

Helena couldn't hold back a soft chuckle and put an arm around Lacey's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. Lacey, this is Jasper. A good friend of mine. And of your mother." – she explained, then she added with a knowing smile. – "I have a feeling that you will see him a lot in the future."

Jasper snorted in doubt.

"Yeah. Until this Brad guy brainwashes Eleanor and turns her against me." – he mumbled angrily.

The former queen looked at him with pity and gave him a compassionate smile.

"I don't like him either, but he seems to be a good influence on Eleanor." – she said after a short pause.

"Maybe too good influence. We should do something." – Jasper remarked, ready for action.

Helena hesitated for a moment, then she shook her head and said in a firm voice:

"I'm sorry I can't. I'm learning not to meddle in my children's life. You are on your own, Mr. Frost."

Her ex-bodyguard couldn't hide his disappointment. He mumbled a quick goodbye and left.

* * *

Helena looked at her granddaughter and gave her a soft smile.

"I like Brad." – Lacey remarked matter-of-factly.

"Do you?" – Helena asked in surprise. – "You don't even know him."

The little girl shrugged and added in a serious voice:

"He looks handsome."

Her grandmother burst into laughter.

"We should talk about your taste in men, young lady. It is terrible." – she cried out in mock indignation.

Suddenly she noticed Alistair, who was just approaching them. She turned back to Lacey and said:

"This is how a handsome man looks like."

"For you." – the little girl answered with a frown.

Alistair, who had overheard the conversation, looked at his ex-wife with a charming smile:

"Did you just call me handsome?" – he asked teasingly.

"Always." – Helena answered softly.

Their conversation ended before it could begin because of Simon's return. The former king came back with two loaded plates which he handed one to his granddaughter.

"I brought you from everything pink I found on the table." – he said with a knowing wink.

He offered the other plate to his fiancée but Helena shook her head.

Alistair decided to take advantage of the situation and turned to the former queen:

"Come, dance with me."

Helena was caught off-guard by his request, but she had no intention to refuse it. Followed by her fiancé's jealous glance, she put her hand in Alistair's and let him lead her to the dance floor.

Their chemistry was flawless and their movements were elegant. No one could have told that it all started by hiding in barns and dark corners thirty years ago. The gown that Helena designed for herself for that night was an excellent choice. The remaining photographers gathered around her to take photos of the perfect spinning of the skirt. Little did they know that what they captured would end up on the covers the very next day and that it would have nothing to do with the dress…

* * *

After the song was over, Helena and Alistair returned to their family.

"I want to dance too, Nana. Come!" – Lacey demanded excitedly while she attempted to drag her grandmother back to the dance floor.

"Darling, just give me five minutes. I have to rest a bit." – Helena protested while still trying to catch her breath.

Alistair gave his ex-wife a longing look, then he turned to his granddaughter.

"My apologies. I think I exhausted your Nana a little too much." – he said with a wink.

"Exactly. And you won't get more from her." – the answer came from Simon, instead of Lacey. – "So why don't you just leave already?"

Alistair eyed him up and down and snorted in disdain.

"Yeah? Because you feel threatened by me?" – he asked with a scornful smile.

"Why should I trust you?" – Simon hissed between his teeth.

Alistair decided to ignore the hidden threat in his voice and continued with ease:

"You shouldn't. But you should trust your girl. Because if you don't, she will know where to find me."

"Alistair!" – Helena cried out indignantly, but it was too late.

Captain Lacey was too drunk on whiskey and love to stop. He took a step closer to the former king, who did the same. The two men looked each other in the eye and clenched their fist, ready for a fight.

"Are you gonna hit me? We both know you don't have it in you." – Alistair remarked mockingly. – "The only place you are man enough is behind a chess board."

Simon was surprised by the specific insult. He gave his fiancée a reproachful look, then he turned back to his rival and struck.

* * *

The blow came so quickly that Alistair had no time to react.

As soon as she had seen the blood on her grandfather's face, Lacey started screaming and soon the whole room was staring at them. Liam and Eleanor rushed to them too to see what had happened. Helena stood hesitantly for a moment, not knowing whether she should attend to the two fighting men or calm down her granddaughter. Finally, she chose the latter, leaving Liam to take care of his fathers.

Since Lacey didn't stop screaming, Helena crouched beside her and made the little girl look at her.

"Deep breath, eyes on me." – she ordered in a firm voice. – "You know I can't help if you don't talk to me."

Lacey buried her face in her grandmother's chest and finally grew quiet.

"Why are they hitting each other?" – she mumbled.

Helena forced a laugh and pressed a kiss on her granddaughter's cheek.

"Because they are stupid." – she said matter-of-factly. – "But don't worry, they won't hurt each other. If they think they could get what they want like this, they are wrong."

After she made sure that Lacey was all right, she walked over to her two ex-husbands.

"Look at yourself. Two old men beating each other like school children." – she remarked with contempt. – "Alistair. You know damn well when your time was to fight for me."

She let out a resigned sigh, then she turned to her fiancé:

"Simon, you have never fought for me when we were married. Maybe if you did, you wouldn't feel the need to do it now."

She was about to leave, then she suddenly turned back:

"Oh, and don't bother to come home tonight."


	19. Love

**Love**

* * *

 **A.N. I'm very busy right now, but I will try to give you a new chapter as soon as I can.**

* * *

 _London_

* * *

It was 7 o'clock in the evening. Helena put down two plates of hot meal on the dining table and called her granddaughter:

"Lacey! Dinner is ready." – she shouted.

The little girl ran out of her room and sat to the table.

"Did you make this?" – she asked in surprise when she looked into her plate.

"I did." – Helena answered in ease.

Lacey shook her head and gave a knowing smile to her grandmother:

"No. You ordered it." – she remarked teasingly.

The former queen let out a soft chuckle.

"I did not. You think so little of me." – she said in mock anger. – "Now, eat it before it gets cold."

They were eating in silence, then Lacey suddenly asked:

"Where is Papa? Is he coming home?"

Helena couldn't hold back a sigh.

"No, he is not." – she answered softly.

Her granddaughter frowned in confusion.

"Is he coming home tomorrow?" – she asked.

The former queen put down her fork and took her granddaughter's hand in hers:

"Darling, I have to tell you something. I'm not sure when he is coming home, if he is coming home at all." – she remarked honestly.

"Why?" – Lacey demanded.

"Because we had a fight. If I'm being honest, we had many fights." – Helena explained patiently to her.

"Why?" – the little girl asked again.

Her grandmother paused before speaking again:

"He did some things that hurt me, you know? And I did things that hurt him."

Lacey seemed to think about it for a moment, then she asked:

"Why?"

"I think because we are so different. Sometimes you want things to work and you try very hard, but in the end you just have to face the facts." – Helena answered as honestly as she could. – "Do you understand?"

Her granddaughter nodded.

"Yes." – she replied convincingly, then she looked at the former queen. – "Why can't Papa come home?"

Helena started to get bored with the questions, but she tried to remain calm.

"Because I don't want him to. It would be a bad decision." – she said, slightly annoyed.

Lacey didn't notice the warning sign as she asked again:

"Why?"

"Because I'm not happy with him." – her grandmother shouted angrily.

She gave a worried look to Lacey, whose eyes quickly filled up with tears.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell." – Helena mumbled with guilt and caressed the little girl's arm.

Lacey seemed to calm down, then she suddenly turned to her grandmother:

"What about me?" – she asked in a serious voice.

"You can see him whenever you want to. I'm sure he would lo…" – Helena began, but her granddaughter interrupted her.

"Are you happy with me?" – she asked in a trembling voice.

The former queen gasped in shock.

"What? Of course I am." – she stuttered.

"I don't want you to leave me." – Lacey continued in the same tone.

Suddenly her whole body started shaking and Helena had to take both her hands in hers in an effort to calm her down.

"No, no, no. It's different. I would never leave you, you know that." – she cried out in worry.

Lacey let go of her grandmother's hands and lowered her eyes.

"I don't want to sleep on the streets like Papa." – she mumbled while tears were running down her cheeks.

Helena shook her head and tried to caress her again:

"Darling, he is not sleeping on the streets. He is in a hotel." – she remarked softly.

Her words didn't have any effect on Lacey. She was now shaking with sobs and had difficulty to breathe.

"I will be good, Nana, I promise... Like super good. I won't cry… in preschool. I won't be late in the… morning… I will be nice to my mom… I won't be… running around… in Harrods… I will…" – she cried desperately.

Helena was shocked to see her like this.

"Lacey, stop! Why are you saying this?" – she cried out in a worried voice.

The little girl gave her a distrustful look and she hesitated before she spoke again.

"Don't leave me in a hotel. I just want to be with you. I love you, Nana. I will make you happy." – she begged in a heartbreaking tone.

The former queen let out a weary sigh because she finally understood the reason behind her granddaughter's desperation. She gently pulled her into her lap and put her arms around her.

"I love you too. And I wish you'd trust me more. I wish you could relax and forget all the bad things that happened to you in your short life." – she whispered to her and kissed her head. – "But you can't, can you? You are not ready. It's not your fault. I love you so much. I hope you believe this."

With these last words she slowly picked up her phone from the table to make a call. Her fiancé picked up for the first ring. Helena waited a moment, then she said:

"Simon, it's me. I would like you to come home."

* * *

Half an hour later Simon was already at the door and since Helena took his key, she had to let him in herself.

"There is dinner left in the fridge. Lacey is in her room. Would you mind kissing me when she comes out?" – she said instead of a greeting.

"I would kiss you right now." – Simon mumbled in confusion.

The former queen snorted in disdain.

"Would you like a drink?" – she asked, waving toward the whisky decanter and the crystal glasses on the table.

She didn't wait for an answer. She walked over to the table and poured a drink to her fiancé and herself. Her hand slightly trembled as she gave the glass to Simon, causing her to spill a few drops of scotch on the rug.

"I can see you have already started." – Simon remarked scornfully.

Helena elegantly sank into an armchair and took a sip from her drink.

"Do you have a problem with that?" – she asked casually.

The former king gave her a look filled with contempt as he sat down across her.

"With your drinking or the fact that you are getting drunk around a five-year-old?" – he asked sarcastically.

"I'm not getting drunk." – Helena hissed angrily. – "For your information I have only started when I heard you were coming home."

They both remained silent, then Simon let out a sigh.

"You called me, Helena." – he remarked quietly.

"I know. I'm sorry. I will try harder." – his fiancée answered with mock ease while trying to gulp back her tears.

She hastily got up and turned away from Simon.

"I need some fresh air. Will you be all right with Lacey?" – she asked, then she added. – "Just calm her down. It won't be difficult, she will be so happy to see you."

The former king nodded in agreement.

"When will you be back?" – he asked softly.

Helena shrugged.

"I don't know. Why? Is there a curfew now?" – she asked back in disdain.

"Of course not. I was just asking." – Simon mumbled, but his fiancée had already left.

* * *

Helena was walking along the bank of River Thames in a simple black leather jacket and jeans that she had stolen from Eleanor years ago. She stopped under a large tree where the shadow hid her from the street lights and the curious eyes. She didn't have to wait long. Soon, a male figure appeared from the dark.

"Thank you for meeting me." – Helena said to him and pulled him into a kiss.

"You sounded serious." – Alistair answered after their lips had parted.

The former queen lowered her eyes and let out a sigh.

"I'm getting back together with Simon." – she blurted out to get over the worst part.

Her ex-husband took a step away from her into the light, risking to be noticed by the passers-by.

"What? Why?" – he cried out angrily.

Helena looked at him, only to see the disappointment in his eyes. She attempted to caress his cheek, but he roughly pushed away her hand.

"I told Lacey that he wouldn't come home and she totally freaked out." – she explained nervously.

Alistair spread his arms as a sign of disbelief.

"So? She will be over it." – he cried loudly.

Helena was worried that he would draw attention to them so she quickly pulled him back to the shadow.

"No, you should have seen her. She was horrified. She thought I was going to leave her too." – she hissed between her teeth.

"I see." – Alistair remarked coldly.

He leaned against the tree and folded his arms. The former queen followed his example, then she turned to him:

"Why are you like this?" – she asked helplessly.

"Because I don't believe you." – her former husband said matter-of-factly.

Helena took his head between her hands and made him look at her.

"That's the truth. You can't ask me to choose between you and my daughter. And yes, I said daughter. Because she _is_ – in every way that matters." – she remarked in a serious voice.

Alistair snorted in disdain.

"Why does this sound so fucking familiar?" – he asked angrily and shook his ex-wife's hands off. – "You know what I think? You are a coward. You use Lacey as an excuse, just as you did before with your children. You are afraid of love. You are afraid of _us_."

"Well, I'm not afraid of this… and this… and this…" – Helena whispered sensually while she kissed in his ear and neck, then started to unfasten his belt.

First, her ex-husband tried to pull away, but Helena didn't let him so he slapped her.

"Stop! I won't be your lover. Not again." – he hissed angrily.

"I thought… You told me you would wait for me." – Helena mumbled, still in shock from the slap.

Alistair gave her a guilty look and gently caressed her cheek where he had hit it.

"I would wait for you to choose me. But I won't be second or third to you." – he said softly.

Helena took it as an act of encouragement and she looked her ex-husband in the eye.

"I am choosing you. Alistair, just give me some time." – she cried out with passion.

Alistair gave her a sad smile and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodbye, Helena." – he whispered and walked away.

The former queen closed her eyes for a moment. By the time she opened them again, he was far away from her.

The lights of the countless party boats were dancing on the River Thames, accompanied by loud music and the promise of eternal youth and love.

Helena turned away from them and made her way home.


	20. Circle of Life

**Circle of Life**

* * *

 ** _A.N. Thanks to one "nice" review, here is the next chapter. Sorry again, I'm very busy, but I'll write the new chapter when I have the time._**

* * *

 _One year later_

 _London_

* * *

 _St. Mary's Hospital_

The ambulance car made its way with a loud siren to the hospital. Helena refused to sit in the vehicle so she followed them in a taxi.

At the hospital, she was escorted to a waiting room. An hour had passed when a doctor finally arrived.

"The surgery went well. He is stable now. However, his heart is not strong enough." – the doctor said in a serious voice.

"I'm sure you can do something about it." – the former queen answered with mock ease. – "What's next?"

The doctor gave her a reassuring smile.

"He will get a pacemaker tomorrow. That's the first step. After that, I would suggest a change in lifestyle."

Helena nodded in agreement and shook hands with the doctor.

"It won't be a problem. He will get everything he needs. Thank you, doctor." – she said carelessly, then she added: – "If there is nothing else, I'll go home. My assistant will come in and fill out the paperwork."

The doctor gave her a confused look.

"He said he would like to see you." – he mumbled with a frown.

"Oh." – Helena cried out in surprise.

She shrugged and let the doctor escort her toward a large hospital room.

* * *

"You look terrible. How are you?" – the former queen asked after she entered her fiancé's room.

She brushed his dishevelled hair with her fingers and sat on his bed.

"You are nice as ever." – Simon remarked scornfully.

Helena let out a sigh. She took out her phone from her bag and started to read her emails.

"You can go if you want. I can see you don't really care about me." – the former king mumbled.

His fiancée put down the phone and looked at him.

"I have stayed, haven't I?" – she hissed between her teeth.

Simon gave her a suspicious look.

"If you have something better to do…" – he said to further provoke her.

"I haven't." – Helena said in mock ease and put back her phone in her bag.

They remained silent for a while, then the former king remarked:

"I'm sure Jack Parker is eager to see you."

His fiancée let out a frustrated sigh.

"Simon, please. You have to stop with this. It is getting very embarrassing for me."

"For you." – Simon mumbled scornfully.

The former queen rolled her eyes.

"Yes. He is my business partner and you are openly rude to him."

Her fiancé got himself up in a sitting position with a painful grimace.

"Then convince me that you are not sleeping with him." – he demanded.

Helena's expression was of someone who would rather slap him across the face than answer, but she decided otherwise.

"Open your ears. This is the last time I will tell you this: I'm not sleeping with him." – she remarked with growing anger. – "He is Gemma's husband."

Simon didn't seem satisfied with the answer as he continued in the same mocking tone:

"Not that you have never done something like this before. With your own daughter's boyfriend."

"You are a miserable bastard." – his former queen cried out in indignation. – "You are the only man I'm sleeping with and that won't last long either."

Her fiancé gave her a surprised look.

"What do you mean?" – he asked in shock.

Helena hesitated for a while, then she remarked with a bitter smile:

"The doctor said you would need a change in lifestyle. I guess sex is off the table."

The former king gulped. He was deep in thoughts for a while, then he suddenly said:

"Marry me!"

His fiancée, who couldn't hide her bitter joy seeing his misery, cried out in shock:

"What?"

"Marry me." – Simon repeated his offer.

The former queen let out a soft chuckle.

"I will. In the summer as we planned." – he said in mock ease.

Her fiancé shook his head.

"No. Prove me that you love me and marry me now."

Helena hesitated a bit, then shrugged her shoulders.

"Why not? I guess now is as good as ever." – she said wearily. – "I go home and get changed. Rachel will find us a priest by the time I get back."

* * *

 _Helena and Simon's appartment_

Helena just got home when her phone started buzzing.

"Jasper? Hi!" – she said as soon as she picked up.

Her daughter's boyfriend didn't greet her back.

"It's coming!" – he shouted, terrified.

The former queen frowned.

"What? What is going on? Talk slowly." – she demanded in a firm voice.

"The baby is coming! I don't understand. We had two more weeks." – Jasper cried out desperately.

Helena couldn't hold back a laughter. She sat down on a couch in the living room and said:

"Stop, Jasper. Stop. It's perfectly normal. Just take her to the hospital." – she said with ease.

Despite her efforts, Jasper couldn't calm down.

"Which one?" – he stammered.

"St. Mary." – came the prompt answer.

The former bodyguard quickly nodded.

"Are you coming too?" – he asked pleadingly.

The former queen got up and made her way to the door. She looked at her image in the mirror, then picked up her bag and said:

"Yes. I was heading there anyway."

* * *

 _St. Mary's Hospital_

Helena decided to share the good news with her fiancé before she goes to her daughter and her boyfriend. She was on her way to Simon's room when she saw his doctor. She gave him a polite smile which he didn't return.

"Ms. Henstridge. I'm coming from Mr. Henstridge's room." – he said in a serious voice.

"Good. I hope he is not too excited. We have to postpone our plans. In fact, I think we should postpone the surgery too if it's possible." – the former queen remarked before he could continue.

The doctor let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Henstridge. Mr. Henstridge deceased a few minutes ago." – he said in a sad voice.

The smile disappeared from Helena's face, then she shook her head.

"I was with him an hour ago." – she remarked in disbelief.

"It's a good thing you decided to go to see him." – the doctor answered comfortingly.

Helena looked at him hesitantly. She wasn't so sure about that.

"Can I see him?" – she finally said.

The doctor nodded.

"Of course."

He stepped aside to let Helena in. The former queen was about to open the door, then she suddenly turned back.

"And Doctor. I count on your discretion. No one can know about this for now."

* * *

After the doctor reassured her, Helena entered her fiancé's room. It was like nothing had changed. Simon was lying in the same bed and she sat in the same chair next to him, just as she had done it an hour ago. She was quietly looking at him, thinking about the luxury of the possibility to say goodbye. One thing she could never get with her son. She got up from the chair and sat on the bedside. She let out a soft smile and caressed her fiancé's cheek.

"I'm so sorry, Simon. I wish I had come sooner." – she whispered. – "I love you. There was a time when I was even in love with you. It's not our fault that our circumstances and our life made us that way… but we made the most of it."

She pressed a gentle kiss on his lips, then she added:

"Please, take care of Robert. I will be there in no time."

Suddenly, she heard a voice from behind:

"Mom!"

For a moment, it was as if Robert had spoken to her. She quickly shook her head and got up from the bed to face Liam.

"Come in." – she said softly.

She put her arms around her son and let him cry against her chest. Suddenly her phone started buzzing. She picked up and listened to her daughter's voice.

"It's wonderful. Congratulations! Liam is here with me too. We will be right there." – she said happily, then she hung up.

She looked at her son and hastily wiped the tears off his face with her fingers.

"Your sister had the baby. We should go see them." – she said in a firm voice.

They cast one last glance at the former King Simon, then Helena remarked:

"Liam! Not a word to Eleanor. Let her enjoy this day."


	21. Escaping the harshness of reality

**Escaping the harshness of reality**

* * *

 _Helena's farm, Berkshire_

Helena wore a thick fur coat to protect herself against the cold while chopping wood for the fireplace. Soon, she saw a car driving up the driveway. The dogs rushed there and yelped for a short while, then they stopped and returned to their houses. Helena looked after them in surprise, then she saw Alistair getting out of the car.

"I guess they still remember you." – she remarked matter-of-factly, then she returned to her work.

Alistair looked at her horrified as she wielded the axe.

"Please, put that down. I can't even look. Where is your staff?"

The former queen gave him a reproachful glance and said:

"I let them go. They were annoying me. Do you think I can't do it myself?" – she hissed, then her voice became softer. – "You were the one who taught me how."

Captain Lacey let out a chuckle.

"And clearly, you forgot everything."

His ex-wife snorted in resentment, but she didn't let go of the axe.

"If you came here to criticize the way I'm chopping the wood, you can go. Why are you here anyway?"

"Lacey called me to bring from her favourite cereal. Apparently, they don't sell it in the middle of nowhere." – Alistair answered in a mock serious voice.

Helena shook her head disapprovingly.

"And here I am trying not spoil at least one of my children." – she said, annoyed.

Her ex-husband shrugged.

"I won't give it to her if you don't want me to.

"I don't care about the stupid cereal, Alistair! Why did you come here?" – Helena cried out in indignation.

Alistair held her gaze and answered in a calm tone:

"The twins are worried about you and Lacey. But Eleanor is busy with the baby and Liam is still in Hong Kong, so they asked me to come and…"

"… check on me. Great." – Helena finished his sentence, disappointed.

Alistair let out a sigh.

"Come on, Hellie, you know me. You don't have to talk if you don't want to. Just let me stay. And for God's sake, give me that axe before you cut off your finger.

Helena couldn't hold back a soft smile and handed over the axe to him. Alistair finished cutting the wood and they walked back with it together to the house.

* * *

 _Eleanor and Jasper's home, London_

"Come on, Lexi, you need to sleep." – Eleanor was trying to calm down her daughter with rocking her crib.

"We all need to sleep." – Jasper remarked in a tired voice and let out a big yawn.

His girlfriend looked at him reproachfully.

"Do you think it's my fault?" – she asked angrily.

"Len, I didn't say that." – the former bodyguard protested.

Eleanor sat down on the sofa beside him and continued to rock the crib with her leg. Jasper put his arm around her shoulder and cleared his throat:

"Maybe we should go somewhere too." – he remarked in a soft voice. – "We can't stay inside forever, waiting for the paparazzi to disappear. It wasn't such a bad idea from your mother's part to take away Lacey from all this."

The former princess frowned.

"I don't want to go to her farm." – she answered in an irritated tone.

She tried to pull away from her boyfriend, but he held her tightly. He pressed a kiss on her cheek and continued:

"We can go somewhere else. You have so many properties. Your father's castle in Scotland, perhaps? Or your grandmother's house?"

Eleanor let out a bitter sigh at the mention of her father, whom she still missed dearly.

"I don't know, Jasper." – she said uncertainly.

"In any case, you can't avoid your mother, babe. Not if you want to see Lacey." – Jasper remarked in a firm voice.

Eleanor gave him a frustrated look, then she nodded. She leaned against his chest and said:

"You are right. I'm just so angry with her. I know that Dad would have wanted a small funeral… but no. Mom and Cyrus had to organize a big state funeral and make a spectacle of him."

Her boyfriend caressed her shoulder and remarked in a calm tone:

"I don't think so. Helena seemed pretty honest when she said she wanted to honour your father…" – he began softly, then he said: - "And she was under a great pressure because of the Prime Minister. After all, your father was a king. The last king of England."

"So you think it was the right decision." – Eleanor snapped at him.

Their daughter finally fell asleep so Jasper put his finger to his mouth to warn his girlfriend to keep her voice down.

"I don't think any of you had a real choice in this matter." – he whispered quickly.

The former princess gave him a doubtful look.

"I hope you are right. Because if Mom or Cyrus are staring plotting again, it won't be good for us. Trust me." – she whispered too. – "But there is one thing she forgets: I'm a mother now. I have you and I have a stable home and a job. I can take away Lacey from her whenever I want. And if I think she is not right for her, I will."

Jasper nodded in agreement.

"She'd better not be up to something then." – he said matter-of-factly.

* * *

 _Helena's farm, Berkshire_

Lacey jumped into Alistair's arms as soon as she saw him.

"Grandpa!" – she cried out happily.

"How are you, Pumpkin?" – Alistair asked with a smile.

The little girl let out a sigh.

"Good. I made tea by myself. I'm taking care of Nana." – she said in a proud voice.

Her grandfather couldn't hold back a soft chuckle seeing her serious face.

"Well, you are doing a great job. She looks good to me." – he remarked with a wink.

"She is sad because of Papa. Me too. But we will see him again. Papa is visiting my uncle, Robert now because he doesn't want to be alone, right?" – Lacey asked eagerly.

She looked at her grandfather, then at her grandmother who shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know, Lacey. Maybe." – she mumbled.

The little girl frowned.

"Uncle Liam and my mom told this. Are they lying?" – she demanded angrily.

"No, they are not. We just can't know for sure." – Helena explained patiently. – "And even if we see him again, it will be a very very long time. Especially for you. I need you to understand that."

Lacey seemed desperate for a moment, then she shook her head.

"But we will. We have to believe... You have to believe that." – she said in a firm voice and looked at her grandmother. – "Will you try it for me?"

Helena forced a smile and nodded.

"Yes, I will." – she promised, then she suddenly noticed the clock on the wall. – "It's time for bed now. Let's go to your room. We have the wood so it will be warm now."

Lacey walked obediently toward the stairs, then turned back.

"Is Grandpa sleeping here?" – she asked hopefully.

Alistair looked at Helena, who nodded in agreement.

"Cool. Can I show you my room?" – Lacey cried out happily. – "It was Nana's room when she was little. She grew up in this house. Did you know that?"

"I did. I was here too." – her grandfather remarked laughingly.

Lacey's eyes widened in excitement.

"Really? Were you friends?" – she asked curiously.

Her grandfather was happy to answer the question.

"Best friends. We loved each other. You wouldn't be here now if we didn't."

"Alistair!" – Helena hissed angrily.

Her granddaughter ignored her disapproval and looked at her grandfather in amazement.

"Tell me everything." – she demanded.

Finally, Helena and Alistair managed to persuade their granddaughter to go to bed before they began to tell her a very special bedtime story. Lacey was already tucked in, with Helena sitting on one edge of her bed and Alistair on the other.

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl… a little older than you, but just as beautiful. She liked going out riding and she loved her horse dearly." – Alistair started the story.

He looked at his ex-wife who couldn't stand his gaze for long. She cleared her throat and continued where he had left off.

"If only she loved just the horses. But one day this girl met a young boy in the stables who seemed much much more interesting than any horse."

Alistair let out a smile and said:

"The young boy fell in love with the girl."

"And the girl fell in love with the boy." – Helena answered matter-of-factly. – "But not everyone was cheering for their love."

Her ex-husband thought back for the memory and the smile suddenly disappeared from his face.

"They didn't care though because they were sure that theirs was the biggest love in the history of the world." – he remarked with a bitter smile.

Helena shot a worried glance at him, then she lowered her eyes. Lacey got tired of the long pause and looked at her grandfather.

"What happened then?" – she asked impatiently.

Alistair looked at his ex-wife who seemed to be elsewhere, so he had no choice but to continue.

"The girl and the boy took a love oath and became one that night." – he said in a soft voice.

Helena immediately woke from her thoughts and turned her attention to her ex-lover.

"Al! She is just six." – she cried out in indignation, then she added: – "By the way, it wasn't that night."

"Yes, it was." – Alistair protested.

The former queen shook her head.

"You are mixing up the dates. We were together long before the oath."

Lacey couldn't care less about these unimportant details so she snapped at her grandmother:

"Stop. Continue."

Helena gave her a surprised look, then she shrugged.

"This is the end. They didn't stay together. They became friends." – she said quickly because she suddenly had enough of telling the story.

"It's a boring story." – her granddaughter remarked, disappointed.

The former queen shook her head and let out a nostalgic smile.

"No. It's not. Because that's how I met your grandfather. The other one. And we had a beautiful life and a beautiful family and…"

She would have continued, but Lacey had already fallen asleep listening to her. But her ex-husband heard every word and wasn't too happy about them.

"Good to know you were happy with the family you stole from me. My family." – Alistair hissed angrily.

Helena looked at him in shock, then she got up without a word and left the room. Alistair quickly followed her, but he only caught up with her downstairs in the living room.

"Wait! I'm sorry." – he stuttered breathlessly.

His ex-wife turned around to face him.

"That's why you are here? Did you come to claim your prize?" – she shouted angrily.

Alistair frowned.

"What prize?" – he asked in confusion.

"Me." – came the simple answer from Helena.

Her ex-husband was taken aback by her reaction and suddenly he didn't know what to say.

"No. Yes. I don't know." – he mumbled. – "I have waited long enough."

The former queen gave her a shy look and let out a weary sigh.

"Almost forty years. Why do you still want me? Look at me now." – she said softly.

Alistair looked at her and smiled.

"I see the same woman."

Helena smiled back.

"I see you too." – she remarked kindly, then her voice became serious. – "But right now I have to honour the man who was my partner for thirty years. At least in his death I want to give him the respect I denied from him for so long in his life."

Alistair nodded in resignment. He stepped closer to her and pressed a long kiss on her lips.

"I understand. I will wait. But this will be the last time."

* * *

Next morning Helena woke up to the aggressive ringing and knocking on the door.

"Who the hell is that at this hour?" – she mumbled drowsily and went downstairs to open the door.

The man, who was impatiently waiting for her outside, thoroughly eyed her up and down before he spoke:

"So the rumours are true." – he began scornfully while he was looking at her black satin dressing gown. – "You play the mourning widow to perfection. Get thee to a nunnery...

Helena feigned a smile and returned the nice greeting.

"Cyrus. It's always a pleasure." – she remarked sarcastically, then she added. – "For your information, I don't play the mourning widow."

In that moment, Alistair, who was in the kitchen listening to their conversation, appeared at the door beside Helena. Cyrus took a curious look at him and said:

"Clearly. Good morning, Captain Lacey."

Alistair greeted Cyrus with a nod, then turned to the former queen:

"I see you later. Call me."

The former prince turned Foreign Minister waited until the captain got in his car and disappeared, then he looked at his ex-sister-in-law.

"You don't waste your time."

Helena let out a sigh and asked:

"What do you want Cyrus?"

"Don't get too excited." – Cyrus remarked, amused by her. – "Can I come in?"


	22. Bargain and Blackmail

**Bargain and Blackmail**

* * *

 _ **A.N.: Sorry, it's a short chapter, but I didn't want you to wait any longer. :) The next chapter will probably be the last one. I hope you have enjoyed the story and will enjoy the last chapters too. :)  
**_

* * *

 _Helena's farm, Berkshire_

Helena reluctantly led Cyrus into the large drawing room and sat across him on the sofa. The Foreign Minister looked around curiously and his gaze fell on a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. Helena let out a smile and said:

"You know what they say. I took half the palace with me when I left.

"As you should have." – Cyrus remarked indulgently. – "Especially because _I_ took the other half."

The former queen laughed and gave him a knowing wink. They remained silent for a while, then the former prince suddenly shuddered.

"It's freezing here." – he cried out resentfully.

"If I knew you were coming, I would have started the fireplace. Or not…" – Helena answered in a serious voice. – "So what brings you here?"

Cyrus looked at her and said without hesitation:

"I have a proposition for you."

"Do you want a new suit?" – his ex sister-in-law asked innocently. – "I'm booked until summer, but talk to Rachel and maybe I can squeeze you in. Give me your measurements."

The former prince snorted in disdain.

"It's not a job proposition." – he remarked with contempt.

Helena feigned surprise as she asked:

"What then?"

"I'm running for Prime Minister." – Cyrus announced in a solemn voice.

He didn't have the expected effect as the former queen just shrugged and said:

"I know."

Cyrus gave her a suspicious look, then he continued:

"You should also know that I'm planning on restoring the monarchy." – he said, but since Helena was still sitting there with a perfect poker face, he added: - "You don't look surprised."

The former queen burst in a long laughter.

"I'm not. Your intention was pretty obvious at Simon's funeral." – she remarked, amused.

Her ex-brother-in-law quickly put aside his feelings and asked eagerly:

"So what do you think?"

Helena hesitated a bit, then she answered in a calm tone:

"Two things actually. First: it's impossible. Second: I'm not interested."

"It's not impossible." – Cyrus protested loudly. – "A lot of people regret their decision to vote for the abolition."

"And you think they would vote for you if you promised to give them back the kingdom." – Helena finished his train of thought.

The former prince nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. But it would be a better, stronger monarchy where the King is the Prime Minister and he holds the real power." – he described his plans to his ex-sister-in-law.

"You want me to campaign with you. Again." – the former queen remarked matter-of-factly.

"But this time we are going to win." – Cyrus remarked with a grin.

Helena got up and started walking up and down the room.

"What do you offer me?" – she asked after a bit of hesitation.

A wide smile spread across the former prince's face. He cleared his throat and said:

"You could be the Duchess of Oxford and my chief advisor."

Helena shook her head in disbelief.

"Your chief advisor? And my mother's title?" – she asked in indignation.

"The highest after the King and Queen." – Cyrus remarked apologetically.

The former queen let out a long sigh and sat back.

"Let's pretend I'm interested." – she said in a firm voice. – "Cyrus, you have no chance to win without my support. 30% of the people voted for the monarchy. 25% of that was because of Liam and me. God knows why, but you have a high approval rating as Foreign Minister. You could win this election with 30-35% of the votes. But this number would drop if you announced your plan to restore the monarchy. Because frankly, no one wants to see you as king, Cyrus."

"Despite not being interested, you seem oddly prepared." – Cyrus hissed angrily.

Helena couldn't hide her amusement.

"I'm a businesswoman now. I have to be good with numbers." – she said with a smile.

"Fine. What do you want?" – the former prince mumbled.

His ex-sister-in-law answered as if it was the most natural thing in the world:

"I want to be Queen."

Cyrus couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"What about Prudence?" – he asked laughingly.

Helena, however, didn't find the situation so funny.

"Did you really think I would let Simon's mistress live in my palace?" – she asked angrily.

Cyrus carefully eyed her up and down to find out whether she was serious or not.

"No." – he admitted with a sigh. – "I'll get rid of her. You'll be queen."

"And coregent." – Helena added in a firm voice.

"Out of the question!" – Cyrus cried out indignantly.

The former queen shrugged.

"Then we have nothing to talk about." – she remarked with ease.

"What about the dear Captain Lacey?" – the former prince asked quickly. – "I assume it wasn't much fun being the lover of the Queen Consort. It sucks even more with the Queen Regnant."

His ex-sister-in-law let out a soft chuckle and remarked casually:

"Alistair wants what I want. He'll be fine."

* * *

"No!" – Alistair cried out angrily. – "I won't be hiding again."

Helena and the twins were listening to his outburst in silence.

"Just a few years. I told you I wasn't ready anyway." – Helena tried to convince him in a soft voice.

She took his hand and caressed it with her fingers. Alistair pulled it back.

"Yes, but it's different. I don't want to be your shameful secret again." – he remarked bitterly.

"You wouldn't be a secret… At least not a shameful one and it's only…" – the former queen began, but her daughter interrupted her.

"I'm sure your epic love story is very important, but there are other things too. I won't let my daughter live that life." – Eleanor remarked in a serious voice.

Helena looked at her daughter and rolled her eyes.

"Why? Lacey could get everything she wants." – she cried out, then she added. – "And make no mistake, she wants this. She wants to be a princess."

Her daughter got up angrily and walked over to her.

"I forbid it." – she hissed between her teeth.

The former queen stood up as well to face her daughter.

"Well, it's hardly your call, Eleanor." – she remarked scornfully.

Eleanor shrugged and let out a mysterious smile.

"We'll see." – she said ominously.

"What are you talking about?" – Helena asked in shock.

The former princess hesitated a bit before she said in a firm voice:

"I'll take her away from you."

"You can't. We had a deal." – her mother cried out angrily.

"Because I thought you were the best for her." – Eleanor remarked matter-of-factly. – "But if you try to ruin her life, just the way you ruined mine, I will sue for full custody."

Helena burst into a scornful laughter.

"Do you really think you would win?" – she asked in mock ease.

Eleanor was visibly offended, but she quickly hid her feelings and feigned a smile:

"Maybe not. But do you really want to start your old new life as a queen with a custody scandal?"

The former queen frowned and turned to her son:

"What about you, Liam?"

Liam shrugged, then he suddenly had an idea:

"It depends. What's in it for me?"

"Liam!" – his sister cried out in shock.

Helena quickly silenced her daughter and turned back to Liam.

"I can make you my heir." – she said with ease.

The former prince snorted in disdain.

"If you can convince or rather blackmail or backstab your coregent, Cyrus." – he remarked sarcastically.

"Yes…" – his mother mumbled and lowered her eyes.

Liam glanced at his sister, then he gave his mother a concerned look:

"And if not?" – he asked in a soft voice. – "I'm not taking that risk. If you want to be queen, you are alone, Mom."


	23. Much happier

**_Much happier_**

* * *

 ** _A.N. This is the last chapter, this time for real. I hope you'll enjoy it. Thanks for all the followers and reviews. :)_**

* * *

 _Afternoon tea, TV studio, London_

JANE: This is _Afternoon tea_ and we continue with two very special guests. They are both members of the former royal family, but we can all agree that they chose a very different path. Please, welcome fashion queen Helena Henstridge and Foreign Minister, Cyrus Henstridge!

HELENA: Good afternoon! Thank you for having us.

CYRUS: Hi everybody.

JANE: First, I would like to express my condolences for your loss. King Simon's death was a shock and the whole nation is grieving. How are you holding up after this tragedy?

CYRUS: Thank you. It's always hard to lose a family member, but Simon's death showed us that despite the abolition how much he and the monarchy meant to the people. It gives us a lot of strength.

JANE: Helena? You left London after the funeral and you are still wearing black. It seems that one tragedy follows the other in your family. Both Prince Robert and King Simon were loved and I dare to say _worshipped_ by the nation. How can you cope? How can your family cope with their loss?

HELENA: Thank you for your kind words. Of course, it is difficult for all of us. But Cyrus is right. The fact that the British people are sharing in our grief is very comforting. And all I can say to them that we must stand up again and go forward. This is the only way.

JANE: You sound incredibly strong. You know a lot of people still see you as their queen.

CYRUS: As they should. Helena did a lot for this country. The British people won't forget that from one day to the other.

JANE: They won't forget your work either. After being the Prince of York, you have served them as Foreign Minister and now you are about to become Prime Minister. What can you promise to the people if they elect you?

CYRUS: I'm not here to campaign, Jane. But I can tell that the people won't be disappointed in me. They will get what they deserve.

JANE: Helena, do you support Cyrus to become the next Prime Minister?

HELENA: Of course, I'm very proud of him. We are still a family and we help each other in everything.

* * *

 _Eleanor and Jasper's flat_

"Come on, Mom. Don't do this." – Eleanor mumbled.

The former princess sat in front of the TV in the living room while her boyfriend gently rocked their baby daughter.

"What if she does?" – Jasper asked matter-of-factly. – "What will we do?"

His girlfriend frowned and looked at him in confusion:

"What do you mean?"

"If Helena will be queen again. Did you think about that?" – Jasper asked softly.

"We'll go." – Eleanor said in a firm voice. – "We get Lacey and we'll leave."

The former bodyguard shook his head disapprovingly.

"We can't run away forever, Eleanor." – he said with a sigh.

"Why? Do you want to be a prince so much?" – Eleanor shouted angrily.

The baby woke up and began to cry. Jasper shot an angry glance at his girlfriend.

"All I say that we could give it a chance." – he remarked quietly. – "That was supposed to be your life anyway. What changed?"

The former princess rolled her eyes.

"I hated that life. Now, I'm happy. That's what changed." – she hissed between her teeth, then she added: – "I'm getting enough that you are always on my mother's side. Maybe you should have stayed in her bed instead of mine."

"Eleanor!" – Jasper cried out in shock.

They both remained in silence for a while, then Eleanor let out a sigh.

"I'm serious, Jasper. If she becomes queen, I'll leave. With or without you." – she said in a serious voice, which didn't leave any doubt about her intention.

* * *

 _Afternoon tea, TV studio, London_

JANE: Speaking of family. Congratulations are in order. Eleanor had her second child. Another daughter. What can you tell us?

HELENA: I promised Eleanor that I will respect her and her family's privacy so I can't tell much… but they are all right. They are very happy. We are very happy. Little Alexandra is adorable.

JANE: What about Lacey? Was she happy about becoming a big sister?

HELENA: Absolutely. She wanted to take the baby home immediately when we went to see her in the hospital.

JANE: I have a confession to make. My whole family loves her so much. I love the way she has taken over your social media pages. Are you close?

HELENA: Very close, yes. She is my go-to person… my best friend really.

CYRUS: She is an amazing little girl. I wouldn't be surprised if she became a very successful woman.

JANE: Just as her grandmother. And how is your son, Cyrus? We haven't seen much of him lately.

CYRUS: He is fine, thank you. He is on a ski trip with his girlfriend and her mother.

HELENA: His girlfriend?

CYRUS: What can I say? Like father, like son. You can't start too early.

JANE: Back to you, Cyrus. Now that you are running for Prime Minster, people are wondering what it could mean for our young republic. I will shamelessly tell you that some of us would be very happy to see the royal family back in action. Back then you were both campaigning against the abolition of the monarchy. What are your thoughts now?

CYRUS: I'm glad you ask. I'm still on the same opinion. Being the member of the Royal Family is a service for life. However, I'm happy that the people's voice was heard and they made a decision. A couple of years have passed and now everyone could judge whether it was a good or a bad decision. I want to give the British people a chance to revise this decision and change it if they don't like it.

JANE: In other words, you are ready to restore the monarchy.

CYRUS: If that is what the people want, then yes.

JANE: That is great news. We'll be back after a short commercial break and I will ask the same question from our beloved queen as well.

* * *

 _Alistair's cottage_

Captain Lacey has taken a concerned look at the screen of his computer. He was watching the live broadcast of _Afternoon tea_ with his son.

"What do you think she'll say?" – Liam asked with a sigh.

"She'll do the right thing." – Alistair answered with a knowing smile.

He got up and went to the kitchen for something to drink.

"How can you be so sure?" – his son shouted after to him.

Captain Lacey let out a soft chuckle.

"I know her." – he shouted back.

He returned with two bottles of beer and sat on the couch beside his son. Liam took one of the bottles while he gave his father a doubtful look.

"Then you should know better than trusting her too much." – he remarked carefully.

Alistair shrugged his shoulders and took a sip from his beer.

"Whatever you say, she loves you and your sister. You are all she has now." – he said with ease.

"We are." – Liam corrected him.

"We are." – his father agreed with a nod. – "And Lacey. Do you think she would risk losing her, losing all of us?"

Liam hesitated for a while then he said:

"Unless she is absolutely sure that Cyrus will win…"

"And how could she?" - Alistair finished his thought with a smile and he clinked his bottle to his son's.

* * *

 _Afternoon tea, TV studio_

Taking advantage of the short break, Helena decided to check on her granddaughter who had charmed the whole crew while her grandmother was away.

"I'm a camerawoman now. Do you see that, Nana?" – Lacey cried out proudly.

"You only show my good side, will you, darling?" – Helena remarked with a wink and caressed the little girl.

She was about to go back when she saw her assistant coming toward her.

"What is it?" – she asked expectantly.

"Prudence is at the Dethroned headquarters as we speak. She'll tell them about every juicy scandal she knows. – Rachel informed her boss matter-of-factly. – It's over."

"It is." – Helena agreed, then she went back to the studio.

Her granddaughter waved her behind the camera, then she looked at the cameraman who gave her a nod.

LACEY: And three, two, one… Action!

JANE: We are back again. Let's continue where we left off. Helena?

HELENA: Yes?

JANE: Would you like to be a royal again?

HELENA: Yes.

* * *

 _Eleanor and Jasper's flat_

"I can't believe it. Pack your bags, we are leaving." – Eleanor remarked angrily.

"Wait." – her boyfriend stopped her.

* * *

 _Afternoon tea, TV studio_

HELENA: I would love to… But it wouldn't be right. I might have disagreed with them, but I have accepted my late husband and the people's decision. Simon too, thought that being the King of England was a job for life. So in fact, he made a big sacrifice for our family when he abolished the monarchy. His son had just died. He wanted to give his remaining children a new life. I can't take back this gift from them.

* * *

 _Outside the TV studio_

Helena had already left the TV studio with Lacey and Rachel, and she was about to sign some autographs for her fans when Cyrus found her.

"What the hell? Why did you do that?" – he hissed between his teeth.

The former queen nervously looked around, then she took Cyrus to her car so that they could talk in private.

"You are not winning, Cyrus." – she began as soon as the car door closed behind her.

"How can you know?" – the former prince asked angrily.

Helena let out a sigh.

"The polls…" – she said, but her ex-brother-in-law interrupted her.

"Who cares about the polls?" – he shouted in indignation.

"Fine. It's not the polls. It's Prudence." – the former queen remarked in ease.

"Not her again." – Cyrus cried out in disbelief. – "I told you I would get rid of her."

"It's too late. She went to the press. By tomorrow, the whole country will know about your dirtiest secrets." – Helena said softly.

Cyrus decided to ignore the former queen's calmness and said in a firm voice:

"We'll fight her."

Helena looked at him with pity and opened the car door to let him out.

"I'm out. Good luck, Cyrus." – she said with a scornful smile.

* * *

 _Royal Family Mausoleum_

"Long live the not-queen? Congratulations!" – Alistair greeted his ex-wife while he was walking along the graves of the royal ancestors.

"Thank you. Where are the others?" – Helena asked curiously as she carelessly leaned against the marble grave of Henry VIII.

"You are the first." – her ex-lover informed her with a smile.

The former queen cleared her throat and asked:

"Did you tell the twins?"

Alistair shook his head.

"Honestly? I wasn't sure you would pull it off. And even if you did, there was Prudence."

Helena let out a scornful chuckle.

"Oh, I didn't doubt her for a moment. Once I told her that Cyrus was ready to cast her aside and make me the Queen, it was just a matter of time."

"Still, it was a risk." – Alistair remarked seriously. – "You couldn't be sure she would go the press right away."

His ex-wife shrugged her shoulders.

"I was." – she said with ease.

Captain Lacey frowned as he asked:

"Why?"

Helena stepped away from Henry VIII's grave and lowered her eyes.

"Because I would have done the same."

"You could have just said no to Cyrus. Why did you go to Prudence?" – Alistair insisted.

The former queen got tired of the interrogation and let out a sigh:

"With or without my help, Cyrus shouldn't be king."

Her ex-husband didn't ask more questions and a few moments later their daughter arrived.

"Mom! Thank you so much." – she blurted out as soon as she entered and hugged her mother. – "It means a lot to us. You really give my family a chance to have a normal life. I'm so grateful."

"I meant every word I said in that interview. You deserve this." – Helena remarked in a serious voice.

Eleanor was about to continue when they heard Liam's voice from outside. He was coming with his niece, but instead of talking to her, he was on the phone with someone else.

"I'm willing to walk away. That's my final offer. You have 48 hours to think about it. Good bye." – he said in a firm voice and hang up the phone.

His mother and sister looked at him and rolled their eyes.

"The busy businessman has finally arrived." – Eleanor remarked scornfully.

"Sorry about that." – Liam apologized, then he turned to his niece. – "I'll make it up to you, Lace, I promise."

A big smile appeared on the little girl's face as she asked in mock innocence:

"Will you take me to the IceCream Palace?"

Liam couldn't hold back a laughter.

"You bet. We will eat ice cream from dawn to dusk. Deal?"

Lacey nodded contentedly.

"Deal."

Helena waited until everyone was quiet, then she cleared her throat:

"So… let's do this."

Suddenly, a huge bottle appeared in front of them, thanks to Liam, and he poured everyone a glass of champagne.

Eleanor was the first to raise her glass:

"To Robbie and Dad."

"Robbie and Dad." – her brother echoed.

"To Simon and Robert." – Helena mumbled in a trembling voice.

Alistair looked at her, then he said:

"To all of us. May our commoner life be just as happy as any king's or queen's, prince's or princess's."

"Are you kidding?" – his daughter asked in mock indignation. – "Much happier."

Liam nodded in agreement.

"Yeah." – he remarked laughingly. – "So much happier."


End file.
